It’s official now. Rafa Nadal will return to the courts at the beginning of January for the tournament in Brisbane. This is his return after nearly a year out of action due to a hip injury he suffered last time at the Australian Open.
The goal is to be competitive again to fight to win again the most important titles on the circuit, a very complicated task that he himself recognized. “I don’t know what level I can play at, but I know I will play again. I never lost the illusion“explained the former world number 1 a few weeks ago during the official presentation of the Teknon Tennis Clinic. And that is the big unknown, if he will be able to fight again with Djokovic, Alcaraz and company.
“He’s not as good as he used to be, so I don’t see him as a contender to win a Grand Slam. I think he can be competitive and that it will be hard to win on clay, but it all depends on his health,” said the former coach of Venus and Serena Williams. Rick Macci in an interview given to ‘Tennis Infinity’.
Certainly, there are many doubts about the performance of the champion of 22 Grand Slam titles, however, there are reasons for optimism. This is not the first time Nadal has returned to the front door after overcoming serious physical problemsand the latest precedent in Brisbane shows us a devastating truth.
The year is 2017 and Nadal is starting a difficult season. He is coming off a 2016 to forget where a wrist injury forced him to withdraw in the third round of Roland Garros and miss Wimbledon. He reappeared at the Rio Games, where he was on the verge of winning a medal in the individual competition (in doubles he won gold with Marc López).
The end of the season will be a real test for the Balearic Islandswho did not go beyond the quarterfinals in any of the tournaments he played (eighth in Cincinnati, US Open, quarterfinals in Beijing and second round in Shanghai).
After his loss against Troicki at the Chinese Masters 1000, he decided to say enough and end his season. It is early October and a three month rest and recovery period begins with the aim of returning to Australia in January.
The chosen tournament, as in 2024, is Brisbane. Things did not go well. Inactivity took its toll on him and he bowed out in the quarterfinals after losing to Milos Raonic, but his ‘resurgence’ is in process.
Two weeks later he arrived in Melbourne to reach the final of the Australian Openwhere a very inspired Roger Federer was able to leave him without the title after a spectacular final decided in five close sets.
In February Nadal played in the Acapulco tournament, where he also reached the final. In March he met Roger Federer againwhich left him behind, both in the round of 16 in Indian Wells and in the final in Miami.
The sensations are getting better and better and that can be seen in a clay court season to frame. He arrived at Roland Garros after winning in Monte Carlo, Godó and Madrid. It broke and destroyed him in Rome, where he lost in the quarterfinals against Dominic Thiem, but that defeat allowed him to arrive in Paris full of joy to give a real exhibition of tennis that enabled him to reclaim the crown after a tournament in which he did not drop a single set. .
The second half of the season did not start well for Rafa, losing in the round of 16 at Wimbledon and Montreal, and in the quarterfinals at Cincinnati. But Everything changed when he arrived in New York. There he again showed his best tennis to brilliantly win the US Opena tournament to which the Beijing tournament was added a few weeks later.
The good form continued at the Chinese nationals, where they also reached the Shanghai finalwhere Federer once again acted as the ‘black animal’.
His injury withdrawal at Paris-Bercy and the ATP Finals did not overshadow a dream season which resulted in two Grand Slam titles, two Masters 1000 and two ATP 500 tournaments, in addition to four other finals reached. Some dream numbers that many did not expect after the ordeal experienced last year due to injuries.
Will history repeat itself? For now, all we know is that It all starts in one place: Brisbane.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
