Published17. November 2023, 1:59 p.m
Tennis tour: Rafael Nadal returns – and already has a new goal
Rafael Nadal will return to the tennis tour. When, where and what his performance level will be like is anyone’s guess.
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Rafael Nadal wants to return to the tour after a break of around a year.
REUTERS
The Spaniard announced this in Barcelona.
REUTERS
Novak Djokovic is looking forward to the Mallorcan’s return.
REUTERS
That’s what it’s about
Rafael Nadal has announced his return to the tennis tour.
However, the Spaniard could not say when and where this would take place.
Novak Djokovic is looking forward to his eternal rival and a possible 60th duel.
Novak Djokovic recently mentioned that he is looking forward to the return of rival Rafael Nadal. If the two meet again on the tour, it would be the 60th duel. “I think it would be nice for our sport if there was at least one more match between Nadal and me,” said the 36-year-old at the ATP Finals in Turin. “It is the biggest rivalry in terms of the number of games against each other that our sport has ever had,” said the Serb.
Now the Mallorcan also gave hope that he could return soon. At a media event in Barcelona, the 37-year-old announced that he would play again – he couldn’t yet say when and where. He also didn’t want to make any statements about what his level of play would be like. «A few weeks ago I wasn’t in a position to say whether I would even return. The last steps forward were positive,” said the 22-time Grand Slam winner.
“It is going to be difficult”
Speaking of which: Nadal is currently two titles behind record holder Djokovic. The Spaniard will never make up for this deficit, as he says himself: “I won’t win any more Grand Slam tournaments than Novak Djokovic, but I will make it possible to enjoy it again.” But he also quickly made it clear that he was not sure whether he would ever be able to play his best tennis again. «I haven’t played for a year. It will be difficult to reach a very high level again.” But he’s worked a lot so he’ll at least give it a try.
Nadal hasn’t played a match since the Australian Open this year because of his hip flexor injury. Now he wants to compete again in 2024 and has also set himself a goal: the Summer Games in Paris. There he could compete in doubles with Carlos Alcaraz – the age difference between the two is a mere 17 years.
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2023-11-17 12:59:57
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