Editor’s note: This story was translated by ATPTour.com/es
Ever since he set the 2024 season as the likely stage for his comeback, Rafael Nadal has erred on the side of caution. Facing one of the longest spells away from the game of his career, with a full year out due to a left leg injury, the Spaniard is now counting down the days until his return to professional tennis at the ATP 250 in Brisbane, which starts on December 29th.
Amid a preparation period that began in October, with work continuing in the coming days in Kuwait alongside French #NextGenATP star Arthur Fils, the Spaniard wanted to share his thoughts before returning to the ATP Tour, with a heartfelt message for the fans.
“I’ve thought many times that it didn’t make sense,” admitted the Spaniard, whose last match was in the second round of the Australian Open last January. “After all, there were many years, many hours of work in which I did not see the result. I still believe what I said in the last press conference, that I don’t deserve to end my sports career in a press room. I would have liked to end in a different way, and I fought and kept the illusion for that to happen, with doubts, with bad times, very bad or better times.”
The 22-time Grand Slam champion, who has decided to end his 2023 season before Roland Garros, has had a completely different year than he is used to. Away from the big stages, away from the intensity of the competition, he surrounded himself with his own people to make the best decisions at all times.
“I think I had the right people around me, as I always have throughout my career,” he explained. “Family, team, friends, I think everyone has helped me decisively to be where I am today, which is by choosing to come back to compete. The desire of people who want to see me play again also has a significant impact on my daily life.”
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The Mallorcan is cautious about this return to competition, acknowledging that it is nothing more than a first step. The next step will be to see if his body is ready for the test.
“It’s a reality, there are many chances that it will be my last year, without any doubt,” Nadal underlined. “There’s a chance it’s only half the time. Chances are it will be a full year. There are chances that we will not achieve all of these. These are things I currently do not have the ability to answer. I am only in conditions to say that I am coming back to fight. There’s a good chance it will be my last year and I’ll enjoy the tournaments that way.”
In a season with added motivation, such as the 2024 Olympics in Paris, where tennis will be played on the soil of Roland Garros, the Spaniard simply sent a message of hope. Only time will tell the extent of the decisions he has made, including the timing of a career that has already gone down in modern sports history.
“I don’t want to announce it because in the end I don’t know what can happen and I have to give myself the opportunity not to say one thing and then I can become a slave to what I have said,” he explained. I think it will be like that, but I can’t be 100 percent sure because at the end of the day I have worked hard to come back to fight and if suddenly things and my physique allow me to continue and I enjoy what I do … because shall I set a deadline?’