Rafael Nadal is going to make a comeback to tennis at the Netlifx Slam in Las Vegas, and before the match, he admitted that he had no idea about his level.
The 22-time major winner last played at the Brisbane International, where he won a couple of matches but also injured himself. The injury didn't prove to be a major one thankfully but he still needed a few weeks to get back to full health.
After abandoning plans to play at the Qatar Open in Doha, Nadal's comeback ultimately fell upon the exhibition against Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas. It's good for him in some ways because he won't really have to go all out in this match but still can use it to asses where he stands both physically and with his tennis.
The comeback in Australia started off well despite the long hiatus, so it's not impossible that he will do the same in this one.
Asked by Marca about his tennis before the match, Nadal admitted that he had no idea about his level, which makes sense. It's been a long time since he actually played a competitive match.
"I don't know how I am. To be really honest, because at this point I have no choice but to be honest, I haven't played a set since Brisbane. I've had better and worse moments. The most important thing for me is that I'm here. This is reality. If I'm here it's good news."
That in itself didn't sound particularly optimistic from Nadal, but that's just been the trend on this comeback. He's been quite reserved in his words, but then the results on the court were much better. The goal for him was to be in Las Vegas, and he achieved that.
"Two weeks ago, beyond the results, the goal was to play the Las Vegas and Indian Wells match and I'm closer to achieving it. I don't know what level I'll be at in Indian Wells, but it is the least important thing today."
After the exhibition, the Spaniard will want to compete at the first ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the season in Indian Wells, but he obviously doesn't have any big goals.
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