Last week, Rafael Nadal declared his intention to make a comeback to tennis in 2024. The exact date and venue for his return are yet to be determined.
“I’m well, training, and happy,” Nadal said while in Barcelona. “I’m at a good stage of my life. Until now I didn’t know if I would play tennis again someday, and now I genuinely believe I will. I’m still not ready to say when, but I’m able to train increasingly longer and the progress is good.
“We know that the pain will never disappear, but I’ve taken a step forward. That’s a lot for me. Talking about tennis is another matter altogether, as is the level I’ll be able to play at. But the steps toward trying to play again have been big and positive, which is what we have been fighting for for several months. I’m confident I’ll be able to say something more specific in the coming weeks.
“I haven’t played for a year. Personal success is often more rewarding than general success. The hope is that I’ll play again. You never know what will happen. My gut says it will be very difficult to get back to a good level of tennis. If I wasn’t hopeful of trying to be competitive, I wouldn’t be doing everything I’ve done over the past months at my age and after a long career.
“The years pass by. My hope is that I will play again, and that is hugely satisfying to me on a personal level. I won’t win more Grand Slams than (Novak) Djokovic, but I will have the chance to enjoy myself again.”
The 37-year-old Spaniard has been out since the Australian Open because of a hip injury. He had been hoping to return for the clay-court swing but decided that surgery was necessary and underwent a procedure in June.
Who will win the Australian Open?
1. Novak Djokovic
2. Carlos Alcaraz
3. Daniil Medvedev
4. Jannik Sinner
5. Andrey Rublev
6. Alexander Zverev
7. Nick Kyrgios
8. Rafael Nadal
10. Other
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