Rafael Nadal is only about a week away from his competitive return to tennis, and it will be one of the most followed returns in a long time.
The last time we saw Nadal play on a tennis court was actually at the Australian Open. It was a match against Mackenzie McDonald, during which Nadal injured his hip, and that was it for the 2023 season.
He finished the match pretty quickly, but news came out that he was going to be away for a while. The Spaniard had a natural recovery, but it didn't work out well, so he shut it down completely and underwent surgery.
The return is coming up shortly, and it will be tricky. Many are unsure whether Nadal will be competitive at all, while some are adamant that he will. Former pro and analyst Barbara Schett shared her thoughts in a recent exclusive interview with Eurosport.
Of course, he will be 'rusty'. To be honest, I don't think he's going to play his best tennis. Rafa is a guy who needs matches. And everyone else has raised the level again maybe one more step since the last year. So, it's going to be very difficult for him.
Schett's take is sensible because it's pretty hard to imagine Nadal coming out swinging immediately. He's always been a player who needed a few matches, and after not playing for an entire year, it's not sensible to expect a lot from him.
Some have pointed towards Roland Garros as his likely peak, and that's again a pretty logical take as his Uncle Toni admitted that it's the main objective. Schett kind of agrees with that, believing clay to be his best chance of doing some big things on his return.
But to be honest, I don't really care. I just want to see him one more time. It's a legend of the game. Obviously, the big focus will be on the clay, on what he will play in the events leading up to Roland-Garros , and then on seeing him back home, where he has had so much success at the French Open, It's going to be the best.
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