'We Need An Injury Of Alcaraz, Djokovic & Medvedev': Toni Nadal Jokes On Nephew's Comeback
ATP
Rafael Nadal's uncle and ex-coach Toni Nadal is hopeful his nephew will return at the start of next season, but jokingly admitted he'll need three of his big rivals out of the picture.
Nadal has not played since losing to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of this year's Australian Open. He picked up a troublesome hip injury that became apparent it was a lot more serious than initial scans. Nadal was initially scheduled to be out for six to eight weeks for what was classified as a Grade 2 injury of the iliopsoas.
But weeks turned into months and Nadal found himself playing catchup to appear at his favorite tournament - Roland Garros. When he pulled out from the entire clay-court swing before the Parisian clay Slam, it was clear that the Spaniard was fighting a losing battle.
Nadal listened to his body and doctors and decided to undergo surgery. Thankfully, everything worked out perfectly, and he was out of rehab in just a few weeks. In the past month, Nadal has stepped up his training routine under his uncle's watch.
Few people on this planet know Rafael Nadal like the palm of their hands, and one of them is Uncle Toni, so when he made the call on his nephew's date of return, it didn't come as a surprise. Nadal has not formally announced his return at next year's Australian Open but appreciates the vote of confidence by the tournament.
Toni Nadal reiterates that Rafael Nadal wants to be in Melbourne in January to play the year's first Grand Slam. As quoted by Mallorca Daily Bulletin, he joked that Nadal's cause will be boosted by injuries to Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Daniil Medvedev.
The trio have accounted for the biggest titles in 2023. Djokovic won three Slams, while Alcaraz won Wimbledon. Medvedev has not been left behind, winning the most matches on hard courts. If Nadal plots his comeback in the early phase of next year, he'll need a huge stroke of luck to make any inroads.
"He wants to play the Australian Open. I’ve seen him practicing these last few days. He’s practicing much better. Now what we need is an injury of Alcaraz, Djokovic, & maybe Medvedev. We need them to have a lot of problems, then Rafa can play very good."
