Rafael Nadal will play at the 2024 Madrid Open, but he declared himself not 100% ready to play at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Nadal's latest tennis comeback happened last week at the Barcelona Open, where he played two matches in total. The first match was a pretty solid win over Flavio Cobolli, while his next one was a loss to Alex de Minaur.
None of that was hugely surprising, but the fact that he will be playing in Madrid is a bit of a surprise. The reality of the situation is that Nadal needs matches, and if he keeps skipping over events, he will end up with very few practice matches ahead of Roland Garros, which he'd like to avoid.
He will play this week in Madrid, but he confirmed to the media ahead of his return to Madrid that he doesn't feel 100% ready to play.
"I’m excited about it. Playing in Madrid has been amazing. It’s difficult to say that anywhere else in the world gives me the support I get here. I can’t wait to play here again. The week has been good in some ways and not so good in others."
"I don’t think I’m 100% ready to play. I’m ready to go out and play tomorrow and that’s important to me. Being able to play in Madrid for the last time means a lot. At least I’ll be able to enjoy the court where I’ve had so many amazing moments again"
He's yet to really find his best tennis, and he'll get better the more matches he plays, and he hopes to achieve that in the Spanish capital. The same goes for his fitness which will improve the more matches he plays, with his target being the Roland Garros.