A lot of people think that Rafael Nadal will wait for the clay season to get back after his injury setback, but that doesn't include tennis analyst Alex Corretja.
Rafael Nadal withdrew from the 2024 Australian Open after his most recent injury setback which happened at the 2024 Brisbane International. The Spaniard has a muscle issue, but it's not related to his previous hip injury.
It means that he should be good to go relatively soon, even though many hypothesize that he won't play until the clay season. His next few months may see him skip over the Sunshine Double after the injury, but he may also choose a different approach.
Eurosport analyst Alex Corretja doesn't think that Nadal will skip any tournaments that he could possibly play. If he's ready to play, he will play, whenever that ends up being.
In my opinion, Rafa wants to play now. I think as soon as he’s ready again physically, if he's healthy, it would be good to try again and see where he is. It’s not just about his game, it's also about his body, about his mind. It’s a big of a combination right now.
In essence, it makes a lot of sense. Why waste time? On the other hand, some might argue that he came back a bit too soon. Muscle issues are common after a long absence, and he might want to ramp up slowly when the next comeback rolls around.
I think once he's recovered from the injury, I don't think he's going to wait two more months to come back to the tour, because he's been out for such a long time. I don’t see him wondering again, or thinking ‘I want to practise’ [instead].
We'll see how it goes, but there is a lot of optimism. The level he showed at the Brisbane International was pretty good.