Rafa Nadal’s Training for Return to ATP Circuit: A Look at 2023 Preseason

Rafa Nadal and Richard Gasquet at the Rafa Nadal Academy. (@rnadalacademy)

He confirmed that he was away from the slopes last May since his injury in January. He underwent surgery in June. Since then, he has been slowly recovering after his time in the operating room. He began with gym training until he could get back on the court and hit the ball. As the end of the year approached, he was buzzing about Rafa Nadal’s return at the Australian Open. The Spaniard did not make us wait long and soon confirmed that his reappearance would be in Brisbane in the first days of January. A competition that he will face in preparation before the first Grand Slam of the season, with one clear objective: to return to his high level.

A few weeks ago he traveled to Kuwait to train with Arthur Fils, a promising young tennis player. In several videos you could see the high level that Nadal had been able to reach, something that the Frenchman confirmed. Fils confessed to former tennis player Ivan Ljubicic that he was playing at a very high level: “Nadal? Arthur Fils wrote to me to tell me that he was playing at a very high level. “I always expect great things from Rafa.”

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— Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar (@rnadalacademy) December 17, 2023

Since his return, he has been training in Manacor, his city, alongside a tennis legend such as Richard Gasquet. The Spaniard has beaten him 18 times in which they have faced each other. The Frenchman’s only victory was 20 years ago in the Challenge of St. Jean de Luz. In an interview with the French newspaper L’Equipe, Gasquet confirmed Fils’ words about Nadal’s high level and has no doubt that he will win matches next year: “Rafa told me that it took him a while to come back, but I felt that already I had no pain. He will be competitive and win games, there is no doubt about it! He does long 3 hour sessions. “That’s what you have to do, play as much as possible.”

The Frenchman revealed how the coincidence with the Spanish was. Gasquet took the step of contacting Nadal, when he announced that he was looking for players for December: “I was looking for some players for the month of December and I told him what I wanted.” “I was here before, but about 10 years ago, at the end of 2014. There was only one indoor court, it’s not the same anymore. It is magnificent, with many people on the slopes. It has everything you need in terms of infrastructure, with clay courts and a hotel. Struff is also here, this Tuesday I train with Munar, in addition to Rafa,” he said.

His return to competition has become the talk of the circuit. Boris Becker, another tennis legend, was the last to speak out. “I would never bet against Rafael Nadal on a tennis court. He is tremendously strong, he has won a lot, he has so much experience. He is one of the best players of all time, and if he believes that he has a chance to win big titles and play at a high level, then you have to believe him. In my mind there is no doubt. I am convinced that he will not go to Australia with the greatest expectations: his goals must be Roland Garros and the Olympic Games, again on clay.”

Nadal continues to increase the intensity of his training before returning to the ATP circuit from the beginning of 2024. As part of the preseason, which has mostly taken place at his academy in Manacor, in addition to Kuwati, at another of his training centers, where He faced Fils. The finishing touch to the preparation will take place in Mallorca, until the last days of December, when Rafa Nadal will travel to Brisbane to play his first tournament in the last 12 months.

2023-12-20 08:19:00
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