Rafael Nadal continued his injury recovery with mild training at the gym in the company of his former coach and uncle Toni Nadal.
A few weeks ago, Nadal was spotted in the gym at the Rafael Nadal Academy for the first time since underdoging hip surgery in June. But he appears to continue to take encouraging steps before we see him on the court. Nadal is currently focussing on post-operative care.
He was vacationing during the European summer in order to get sufficient rest time before embarking on physical therapy. Now the 37-year-old has gone up a level, jumping on the treadmill where he could be seen running and walking as he was in constant dialogue with uncle Toni.
Nadal has already made his intentions clear during an emotional press conference in May when he announced that he would miss the 2023 Roland Garros and the remainder of the season in order to repair a debilitating issue with his left hip flexor.
Since his second-round defeat to Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open, the 22-time Grand Slam winner has been out of action. The Manacor native wants 2024 to be his farewell season in order to bid goodbye to the most important tournaments that have defined his legacy.
In his time away from the sport, Nadal's name has been linked with the Presidental hot seat of his beloved football club, Real Madrid to take over from incumbent Florentino Perez. The 37-year-old has not responded to these rumors and is solely focused on his comeback to the tennis competition next year.
Recently, Nadal made the Forbes list of the highest-paid tennis players in the past 12 months. Despite missing a huge chunk of the 2023 season, Nadal finished fifth on the list with a fortune of $15.5 million. Thanks to his massive star power, he made an estimated $14 million from endorsements.