Almost a year later, Rafa Nadal finalizes his return to the courts. The Spaniard will reappear the first week of January in the Brisbane tournament, which will be his first contact with the competition since the last edition of the Australian Open.
“I don’t know at what level I’ll be able to play, but I know I’ll play again. I had never lost the illusion“explained the former world number 1 a few weeks ago during the official presentation of the Teknon Tennis Clinic. And that is the big unknown, if he will be able to fight again with Djokovic, Alcaraz and company for important titles, something that some do not see at all clear.
Rafa Nadal hopes to return to a good level after a year off
This is the case of the former coach of Venus and Serena Williams, Rick Macciwho in an interview with ‘Tennis Infinity’ said that “He is not at the same level as before, so I do not see him as a rival to win a Grand Slam. I think he can be competitive and that it will be difficult to win on clay, but it all depends on his health.”
“As you get older you lose mobility and people are not afraid of you when they see that you are vulnerable. There is not much distance between the top tennis players and those who are a little lower, and when they know they have a chance it is different, also on clay” she added.
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Nadal will begin the season as number 663 in the ATP ranking, a classification that will not prevent him from accessing any draw. since they will use invitations or protected ranking, that is, the classification they had at the time they declared themselves on long-term leave.
This way, Your ranking will actually be number 9, but that will not help you be seeded in the different tournaments he plays during the first nine months (or nine tournaments) after his return.
Nadal will not have any ‘privileges’, which will depend on luck to not face each other in the first round with players of the stature of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinnerwith whom he will already share the bill at the Australian Open.
And that is the great objective of the Balearic Islands in its return, to be competitive in the big tournaments to be able to close a sporting career to mark in a big way.
At the moment he has confirmed his presence in Brisbane, where he already competed in 2017, making the quarterfinals. He beat Alexander Dolgopolov and Mischa Zverev, lost to Milos Raonic. He would later be a finalist at the Australian Open, which has always been his priority.
2023-12-03 09:40:38
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