Rafael Nadal He has gone into the unknown. He packed his bags for Australia almost blindly. This is the competition that will determine exactly in which state the 37-year-old Manacorí will return to the professional ATP circuit after a season lost due to a serious iliopsoas injury.
The operating room, while playing Roland Garros, became the safety of the Spaniard, who did not want to retire from tennis in a press conference. “I don’t deserve it,” he declared in front of the media when he explained that he did not know if he would be able to return to the court to play.
He abandoned it in mid-January, sore and lame, after losing to the American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open 2022. The absence of weeks was feared, neither he nor his team could imagine that the problem would put his career in check, keeping him away from the ATP Tour for almost a year.
Nadal is headed to the Australian city of Brisbane, which will host his comeback in a tournament that will take place from December 31 to January 7. All indications are that it will debut on day 1, although this is a date that should confirm.
He will not meet his first opponent until the draw is made, on Saturday the 30th, where Rafael Nadal will enter without any protection. He is 670 in the world ranking, he could be one of the favorites for the title immediately. Among the top registered, the Danish Holger Runethe Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov or the American Ben Shelton.
Nadal accelerated his preparation by rehearsing competition sets against the French Arthur Fils and Richard Gasquetthe finnish Emil Ruusuvuorithe German Jan-Lennard Struff or his compatriots Jaume Munar. The feelings are positive, but it’s Rafa’s nature to set the bar very high, but he doesn’t know where he currently has it.
On the horizon, the Australian Open, in Melbourne from January 14 to 28. In his heart and head, Roland Garros, at the end of May.
Source: La Verdad
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