Rafael Nadal will continue his comeback at the 2024 Italian Open, and he gave an honest assessment of where his level stands right now.
The Spaniard's first event on this comeback attempt was the Barcelona Open. He played solid two matches but didn't really come close to his best tennis. It looked better last week in Madrid, with a couple more wins and some really nice moments.
Now, he will compete in the Italian Open, where he managed to win 10 times before. For Nadal, there have been quite a few interesting narratives coming out of this event. There were some injury concerns a few days ago, but it seems like everything is fine now, as he won his practice match in Rome quite easily.
In the talk with the media ahead of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, Nadal spoke about his level, and he spoke honestly about how things stand, and he admitted that the situation was quite fluid.
"Well, it's something that is not every day the same. Is not a line like this (steadily up), it's a little bit like this (up and down). Even after Barcelona, I had some tough moments in Madrid. Even here the first day. But in a general perspective, the line is going up, without a doubt."
"So yeah, I mean, happy to be today where I am because one month ago for me was almost impossible to think that I will be able to play in Barcelona, then in Madrid, and now being here in Rome."
Overall, though, it's still something that he's observing and learning from. He's had some good moments lately, and the hope is that they continue all through the clay season, peaking at the French Open.
"Things are happening. Is true that I was able to accept the challenge, accept that some moments I was not able to push the way that I wanted to push. Doing the things the proper way and trying to avoid a lot of risks in terms of pushing a lot on the matches, I was able to keep moving."
"Madrid was a good test for me playing I think two days in a row, one match over three hours. My feelings are better always. In terms of tennis, too."
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