Rafael Nadal has not been seen on a tennis court since the Australian Open but Magnus Norman, who coaches Stan Wawrinka, believes he will win a major in 2023.
Stranger things than Rafael Nadal winning a trophy have happened in tennis however he has yet to win one this year. He's yet to play more than one event since a freak hip injury has left him unable to play tennis competitively for a long time.
Even with some promising news coming out recently, Nadal wasn't ready to play in Monte-Carlo. He'll likely miss the Barcelona Open, an event he loves and has won multiple times in his career. Madrid is up in the air for him but there is a small chance of it happening. However, Wawrinka's coach Norman counts on him to come back strong though.
It will be difficult [for him to show his usual form], but if he is healthy, he is a champion and I hope he plays well. You never have to rule out Nadal, [Andy] Murray or Djokovic. Nadal has won many Grand Slams.
Ruling Nadal out would be completely foolish and Norman is not willing to do that. Even if he doesn't get much playing time before Roland Garros, his track record on those courts makes him a favourite regardless of his preparation. The Swede certainly agrees as he predicted Nadal to both play and win some big tournaments this year.
It's not going to be easy, because the competition is tougher, but he's going to find a way to play well and win big tournaments this year too.
Time will tell whether Norman is right but for now, we must await Nadal's return to a tennis court first. Hip injuries are very tricky to heal; some never heal, requiring surgery to fix the issue.
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