Good things come in pairs, and one of the most soothing sights on a tennis court is Rafael Nadal setting his feet on clay.
Nadal's affinity for the surface is well documented. While the GOAT debate has always sparked division among the tennis fanbases, the Spaniard is unanimously considered the greatest clay-court player in history. His 14 Roland Garros crowns are the most in a single Grand Slam tournament.
As mindboggling as Nadal's records on clay sound, there is still a growing belief that he is not done with conquering opponents, even as injuries continue to cripple and derail his plans to prolong his career beyond 2024. The 37-year-old will make a final decision on his playing career before this year's French Open.
As such, he has made it clear that he intends to enjoy the clay season one more time. Nadal's return from injury was expected to take shape in Indian Wells. He traveled to California much earlier to honor his obligation to play the Netflix Slam.
But it is believed he picked up another injury that forced him to withdraw from the first Masters 1000 tournament of the season, just a day before he was scheduled to take to the court to face Milos Raonic in the first round.
Following his withdrawal, Nadal clarified that his body was not ready for high-intense competition. With that in mind, it only served to give him additional time to prepare for the claycourt swing, which begins in earnest in the first week of April with three tournaments in three different continents.
Nadal is expected to feature in the second week at the Monte Carlo Masters, where he will mark his official comeback from the hip injury he sustained at the Brisbane International in January. His outfit for this year's call swing has also been revealed.
And recently, he shared a glimpse of his practice session on his Instagram account, where he was gliding on his beloved surface dressed in an all-white kit. You can view the short video of Nadal's practice below.
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