Leaving, coming back… Rafael Nadal has already given a lot in more than twenty years spent among professionals. Foot, knee, thigh, hip, shoulder, back, abdominals, elbow, hand, wrist: this is not an anatomy course but the list, probably not exhaustive, of the places on one’s body which, at one time, have curbed his enthusiasm and stopped his career. Here he is, at 37 years old, facing the biggest challenge imaginable in the “refresher course” category. Never had he had to take such a long break as this time, to the point of almost disappearing from the world rankings, where he was in 670th place at Christmas time. He has had to treat his left hip since his elimination in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open, against Mackenzie McDonald (4-6, 4-6, 5-7).
