Rafa Nadal Returns to Training with Young Gun Arthur Fils in Kuwait

Nadal and Fils greet each other in one of their training sessions in Kuwait (Rafa Nadal Academy)

The return of Rafa Nadal increasingly generates greater expectations inside and outside of tennis. After 11 months inactive due to his iliac psoas injury, the Spaniard, the second player on the men’s circuit with the most Grand Slams in history (22), is completing his preparation. A few days ago, he announced what will be the first tournament he will play, once he has overcome the longest absence in memory: Brisbane. He will return in the same country where he left, since he has not been in competition since the last Australian Open.

The Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal confirmed this Friday that he will return to the courts after almost a year of absence due to injury. The Brisbane (Australia) tournament, of the ATP 250 category, which will be held between December 31 and January 7, will be where he debuts

The first major of the course, which Nadal has won twice (2009 and 2022), also awaits him soon. Shortly after rejoining, he will have to face a challenge as large as that of Melbourne. With the addition that important rivals can already wait for him in the first rounds, because he is currently ranked 668 in the ATP. A condition that means he has to seek invitations and/or protected ranking to be in the most important events.

You may be interested in: Djokovic’s anecdote with Nadal at Roland Garros that motivated him in his beginnings

Brisbane will serve as preparation to be part of the game later in the big Australian tournament. It is an ATP 250 that the Spaniard only played in 2017, reaching the quarterfinals. In that event, there will be other names such as Holger Rune, Grigor Dimitrov, Ben Shelton or Andy Murray, although it is clear that the man to follow will be Rafa. He will not debut until the first days of January, after spending Christmas with his family.

Nadal on a break from one of his training sessions in Kuwait (Instagram Rafa Nadal)

Before traveling to Australian lands at the end of December, Nadal has undertaken a trip of no small importance in his preparation. Kuwait has welcomed him to carry out the highest intensity training that he has done lately. At his local academy headquarters, he has had the help of one of today’s most promising players: Arthur Fils.

You may be interested in: Nadal’s forehand is exciting in the final stretch of his training

The videos that have been spread on social networks have given reasons for optimism regarding the state in which Nadal finds himself today. They have not been the only clue about those sessions with the Manacor native in which the finalist of the Next Gen ATP Finals has participated. Perhaps the most revealing, although it is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words, is now provided by Ivan Ljubicic.

Protagonist of precisely one of Nadal’s most famous matches, the vibrant final of the 2005 Madrid Masters 1000 (when it was still played on a hard court), the former Croatian player made the leap to the bench once he retired. After being the last coach that Roger Federer had, Ljubicic went on to work prominently with the French Tennis Federation (FFT), which he is helping to detect talent by directing the Ambition 2024 program.

For this reason, he has close contact with Fils, who has told him first-hand how he has been sparring with Nadal, Ljubicic’s executioner in that historic comeback that the Spanish capital hosted (3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 [3]). “Nadal? Arthur wrote to me to tell me that he was playing at a very high level. I always expect great things from Rafa,” the Balkan acknowledged in an interview for Gazzetta dello Sport.

Arthur Fils at the Paris Masters 1000 (REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq)

Before leaving for Kuwait, Fils even dared to challenge Nadal. “Maybe not in the first round, but if I can play against him in the final at Roland Garros, that suits me. If, at 19 years old, I can stop him at Roland Garros, it would be good,” the French pearl commented.

2023-12-15 13:40:00
#Nadal #high #level #sparring #partner #Kuwait #wrote