Former world number one Rafael Nadal just told the world about his plans to come back to tennis, but his fans around the world aren’t too happy about it.
As he continues to heal from a hip injury he got at the Australian Open in January, the Spaniard has dropped out of the world’s top 100 for the first time in 20 years. He is ranked 237th in the world right now.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner didn’t play in this year’s French Open, which he has won 14 times, Wimbledon, or the US Open, which just ended.
Even though Nadal’s uncle Toni gave an update in which he talked about his nephew’s good progress in recovering from his injury and the possibility of a comeback at the 2024 Australian Open, the Spanish tennis star has stayed quiet about the issue.
But Rafael Nadal broke his quiet on September 18 when he sat down with Movistar Plus+ for an interview.
He said he wanted to play tennis again, but he made it clear that he doesn’t think he can win the Australian Open, the French Open, or any other Grand Slam event in 2024.
“Yes, I would like to play again and be competitive again, but the dream is not to come back and win Roland Garros or Australia, so that people don’t get confused, right?” he said. (This is from the Spanish)
“I know that at this point in my life, all of that is a long way off, right? I don’t say it’s impossible because, as I’ve said a thousand times, things in sports change very quickly,” he said.
The 37-year-old tennis star is doing everything he can to get ready for his comeback. He is training by swimming and has even taken up golf.
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal’s biggest rival, has won two Grand Slam wins more than him
At one point, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer all had 20 Grand Slam wins. But when he beat Daniil Medvedev in the final of the 2022 Australian Open, the Spaniard broke the tie and became the first man to win 21 Major titles.
He then won the French Open in 2022, giving him a two-Major lead over his two rivals. But when Djokovic won his 21st Grand Slam title at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, things began to change.
After that, the Serb won again at the Australian Open in 2023 and again at the French Open. After he won the US Open, he became the first player in the Open Era to have 24 Grand Slam wins. This put him two Majors ahead of his rival Nadal.
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