Rafael Nadal calmed down expectations ahead of his return, and he did it again after playing a really strong match at the 2024 Brisbane International.
Nadal's comeback in Brisbane was a strong one as he beat Dominic Thiem easily in two sets. It went better than most expected because Thiem was a tough draw despite him not playing very well at the moment.
Plenty of fans got excited by what they saw, but the Spaniard remained his humble self. While some might think this is proof that he'll now take the ATP Tour by storm, he just played it down and called it what it really was.
It was just one match, a good match, but just one match. Extrapolating anything from it is just wrong, and Nadal refused to do it.
I have been honest, and for me nothing changed. It's only a positive start. I mean, it's just one match after a year that I played quite well, honestly. If we take all the circumstances that have been before that match, have been a very positive match. I mean, it's just a match.
It's not different from what he did weeks ago when he repeatedly downplayed expectations. He is just doing what is smart and taking it one day at a time. The most important thing for him was that his body felt fine before, during, and after the match.
First and most important thing today is stay healthy, honestly. I mean, my way to approach that didn't change at all after this match. My way to approach is just try to enjoy every single day that I have the chance to be on court. If I am able to play more matches, will be more helpful in terms of recover things that, of course, you need to recover if you want to be competitive.
Despite playing down the expectations, Nadal clearly has goals, and that won't change. He wants to be competitive, and we'll see in a few months whether he can achieve that.
For me my goal is still medium term, in a couple of months to try to be, again, competitive. Now, if I am competitive, fantastic, but it's something that I, for me, is going to be a big surprise if I am competitive in a good level. Let's see. Day by day. Today is a positive day. Let's see after tomorrow.
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