Rafael Nadal could return to the court as soon as next month, according to the latest reports coming from Spain.
Nadal returned to tennis in Brisbane after nearly a year out with a hip injury sustained at the 2023 Australian Open. He reached the quarterfinal of the event before losing a very tight match to Jordan Thompson.
Unfortunately, the 22-time Grand Slam champion suffered a muscle injury in the same hip in Brisbane. This led to the Spaniard withdrawing from the Australian Open, with Nick Kyrgios being one of those heartbroken by Nadal's withdrawal.
Some have been debating since about when the 37-year-old would return to tennis once again. For instance, a former coach of Serena Williams suggested that Nadal should skip hard court events and move straight to the clay.
However, Eurosport analyst and former British No. 1 Laura Robson has indicated that Nadal will not be following that advice. Robson stated that information she had received from Spanish coaches is that Nadal will seek to return at the Qatar Open in Doha next month.
"Being boots on the ground, I've been chatting away to some Spanish coaches in the last 48 hours,, and last I heard that the plan was for Nadal to restart in Doha, which is actually just round the corner."
Robson then further clarified that Nadal playing in Doha is not an absolute certainty, but the fact it is even being considered is a positive sign.
"Clearly the injury isn't that bad, he's going to manage it. Whether he actually plays Doha, we'll see, but the fact that he's even hopeful to be out there that quickly after withdrawing from the Aussie Open is really great news."
This is positive news for Nadal fans and for the tennis world. We could see him back in action next month, with the Qatar Open starting on February 19th.
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