Renowned tennis coach Rick Macci sat down with Tennis Infinity for an exclusive interview, and the coach explained what he thinks will happen once Rafael Nadal comes back.
Rafael Nadal will make his comeback in 2024, with the most likely return event being the Brisbane International. That's according to a Spanish journalist who revealed Nadal's offseason plans recently.
The plan is to practice outdoors in Kuwait in early December, with a flight scheduled Down Under in the second half of the month.
The plans also have Nadal play at least one preparation event before the Australian Open, which makes sense because he hasn't played in a very long time and is getting some matches in before the major.
In an a recent exclusive interview with Tennis Infinity, Macci explained why Nadal is not a serious Grand Slam contender in his mind, at least in 2024.
As far as Rafa coming back, as you get older, you lose a little mobility and people aren't afraid when they know you're vulnerable. There's not that much difference between the guys at the top and then the next tier, and when they know they have a chance, that's a whole different thing, even on clay.
Macci's views might sound controversial at first, but they make sense. We don't know what Nadal will look like. A very good Nadal could be a threat, but there are no guarantees that he'll return in that shape.
There is something to be said about not fearing Nadal as an opponent. We kind of saw that last year when the Spaniard lost to Mackenzie McDonald. The American knew Nadal was not feeling well and attacked him relentlessly.
The injury did impact his movement more than anything else, and that could be a worry when it comes to clay tennis.
Where before against Rafa, he's 112-3 on clay [at Roland Garros]. The match was over before it even started. You knew you weren't gonna beat the guy more than likely. So that being said, I wish Rafa all the best, but he's not at the exact same level he was before so I don't think he's a contender to win a Slam.
Nadal could be competitive, but a lot of things need to go right for him. That's how Macci sees it as well.
I think he can be competitive and I think he's a rough out for anybody on clay, but it depends on his health.
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