 "Rafael Nadal's Tennis comeback: positive recovery update from coach and teammate")
synopsis
Nadal's injury sidelined him from the sport for an extended period, leading to necessary surgery and considerable uncertainty about his return. Both Toni Nadal, his former coach and uncle, and Feliciano Lopez, his former Davis Cup teammate, have offered positive insights into Nadal's rehabilitation progress and the possibility of his comeback to competitive tennis.
Rafael Nadal's recovery progress has been positively endorsed by his uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal, as well as his former Davis Cup team-mate, Feliciano Lopez. The 22-time Grand Slam champion suffered a hip injury during his second-round defeat at the Australian Open, which led to him being sidelined since the beginning of the year. Initially, Nadal had hoped to return to action after an eight-week recovery period to participate in the full clay-court season. However, the injury turned out to be more severe than anticipated, leading him to abandon his plans for the French Open. In May, he announced that he would need hip surgery and acknowledged the likelihood of missing the rest of the 2023 season. Additionally, he shared that the 2024 ATP Tour could be his final campaign.
While there were no updates from Nadal himself, his doctors reported a successful surgery over two months ago. Recently, Toni Nadal, who coached the tennis legend until 2017, provided reassuring news suggesting that Nadal's recovery is progressing well.
“Rafa is fine, on vacation, wanting to jump onto the court in 2024. Let’s hope that [Carlos] Alcaraz will let us win something then,” he said.
Toni added: “He is excited to return and retire on the court.”
“He is fine and his recovery is going well. Knowing Rafa and watching his career, it’s hard for me to see him enter a tennis court without feeling competitive,”
“If everything goes well, in 2024 we will see him playing well. At what level? It’s difficult to know because it’s a big question mark. It’s been a long time, after the injury at Wimbledon 2022 he played very little. But he has all the rest of the year to recover.”
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When asked if Nadal will be competitive next year, Lopez replied:
“I’m sure that if Rafa returns to play tennis he will do it competitively. Sometimes being away from the courts helps you to see things differently, to come back with enthusiasm and desire.
“Because keep in mind that being 15 or 20 years at that level of demand saturates you mentally. Being away from your family and your son can help a lot.”
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