Nadal Admits He May Continue Even After 2024 As He Avoids Being 'Slave Of What He Says'
Rafael Nadal is returning to tennis in about a month, but how long will his comeback last; that's a question nobody has an answer to.
The question is important, but it's not the most important right now. Fans mostly look forward to seeing Nadal on a tennis court, though many hope it lasts for a long time.
It's tough to say what might happen as Nadal played down expectations. He understands that ultimately the answer to the question will come when he finally steps onto a court.
He's been working really hard and will continue to do that in Kuwait for a while before the Brisbane International, even if it might all be in vain. As he said in a recent video posted on social media, it might be a year, less than a year, and even more.
It's a reality; there are many chances that it will be my last year without any doubt. There are chances that it may only be half a year, and there are possibilities that we may not be able to reach all that. These are things that right now I do not have the capacity to be able to answer. This is the truth.
Even with Nadal's careful approach, he's ready to come back. That tells you his body is good to go, but nobody knows whether it will hold up. Practices are not matches as the intensity is quite different.
I am only in conditions to say that I return to compete that I continue having in my head that the normal thing, or that there are many possiblities that this is my last year and I'm going to enjoy the tournaments in that way.
Another thing Nadal mentioned, which has been floated by his uncle Toni as well, is extending beyond his initial 2024 deadline. He didn't want to promise anything but acknowledged a very good chance that if everything goes well; he could play beyond 2024.
I do not want to announce it, because in the end I do not know what can happen and I have to give myself the opportunity not to say one thing and then I can be a slave of what I have said. I think it is going to be like that, but I can't be 100 % sure because in the end, I have worked a lot to come back to compete and if suddenly things and my physique allows me to continue and I enjoy what I do...Why am I going to set a deadline? I think it makes no sense.
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