Rafael Nadal’s return to competition is taking shape. The Spaniard gave a press conference this Wednesday from a tennis clinic in Barcelona, accompanied by his doctor. His return to the courts is now certain: “I sincerely believe that I will return to the courts. I can’t say yet if it will be in this place or another, but I’m happy with the way things are developing.
Really good news for the Majorcan, away from the circuit for most of the 2023 season due to a succession of physical problems. “A few weeks ago I wasn’t in a position to say if I would be able to come back, but the progress has been positive. I hope to be able to say something more concrete in the coming weeks,” he continues.
It remains to be seen at what level Nadal will be able to play again. In the meantime, he’s training and he’s “happy”: “It’s a good time in my life. It’s a step forward, without a doubt, and it means a lot.” Compete again with Novak Djokovic, his great rival? Not on the program. “I know it will be difficult to return to a very high level of tennis, but if I did not have the hope of being competitive again, I would not have done the work I did these months- here, the effort that must be made after a very long career, which the years weigh on. I’m not going to win more Grand Slams than Novak Djokovic, but I’m going to give myself the opportunity to have fun again.”
In his calendar, the man with 22 Grand Slam titles has ticked off the 2024 Olympics. At 37, he dreams of forming a doubles pair with Carlos Alcaraz, 20 years old. To the delight of Spanish fans… and tennis fans.