On the ATP tour, Rafael Nadal’s year hasn’t been as fruitful as he would have hoped.
Despite reaching the second week of both slams he competed in, the Spaniard was outplayed by Tsitsipas and Djokovic in both tournaments.
When Nadal returned for the hard-court season in the United States, he was unable to make an impression. Losing to Lloyd Harris at the Citi Open and returning home for foot treatment.
The Spaniard was on crutches for a while after the procedure before beginning his rehabilitation.
As part of his rehabilitation, Nadal has begun to practice on the court. He was recently observed in Mallorca hitting a few lefty forehands.
Rafael Nadal’s return to the ATP Tour is doubtful
Supporters have been cheering over Nadal striking balls on the court. He delivered some disappointing news during a recent visit to his hometown.
Nadal has talked about being back on the tennis court and sticking to a strict regimen. The former world number one raised doubts about his return to the sport.
“I want to recover from the injury to return in condition. I do not know when I will play again, I work a lot every day, I follow a specific plan, obviously with a marked roadmap and with very clear objectives,” Nadal said as per reports on 20 Minutos.
Nadal is unsure of the challenges he will face when he returns to the ATP tour next year.
“There are things that I cannot control one hundred percent, but inside my head I am clear about what my objectives are and I trust that things will follow a positive course to be able to try to compete.
“I work a lot every day to try first, to recover, and second, when I am recovered, to be prepared to return to play in full condition,” he added.
While Nadal’s entire remark sounded hesitant about his return, that was always the case with him when he was recovering.
The Spaniard prefers not to instill hope in tennis fans right away. It’s clear that he’s still not ready to compete at the best level.
“I am in a process of recovery, of work, with a progressive increase in loads and the sensations are not measured daily.
“You have to be a little cautious, look a little in the medium term. Later there are things that do not depend on me, but I trust that what I am doing will give the result that we hope,” concluded Nadal.
The sport need people like Nadal and Federer to make a great comeback. Now, the younger players are able to break through at slams and are ready to challenge the Big-3.
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