As Rafael Nadal prepares to make his long-awaited comeback, some of his competitors have already sent the Spaniard a message about his return. Novak Djokovic has one final wish for his rivalry with the 22-time Grand Slam champion while Taylor Fritz gave his verdict on what it would be like to face Nadal at this stage of his career. But the man himself is trying to tame expectations ahead of his first tournament back in Brisbane.
Nadal has been out of action since January when he injured his left psoas at the Australian Open. The 37-year-old shut down his season in May and underwent arthroscopic hip surgery a few weeks later. Last month he finally shared the news that fans had been waiting to hear, confirming that he’d be able to return to competition, and a few days ago he said his comeback would come at the Brisbane International.
After almost a year away from competition, Nadal’s return has come as big news to his old rivals, some of whom have already shared their thoughts on his revival. When the 37-year-old first announced that he’d be able to make his way back to the tennis tour, Djokovic was one of the first players to respond.
“I think it would be nice for the sport to have at least one more match between Nadal and me,” the world No 1 said during the ATP Finals. “That’s the biggest rivalry in terms of the amount of matches played that this sport ever had. Hopefully that can happen.”
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As well as sharing his own wish for Nadal’s comeback, the 24-time Grand Slam champion complimented his rival for persevering. Djokovic added: “He’s a big warrior. He’s somebody that really never gives up. With all the injuries that he had, keeps going. That’s definitely something that you have to respect and admire about him and his spirit. For the world of tennis, no doubt that it’s amazing news that he’ll be back.”
Meanwhile, Fritz has given his verdict on how Nadal’s return could pan out, admitting that the Spaniard might be rusty at first. The American has beaten the 37-year-old in two of their four meetings and believes that no one will want to face him early on, even if he isn’t his usual self.
“I think that maybe it’s going to be tough. Maybe he might be a little bit rusty,” the world No 10 explained. “I think it’s going to be pretty crazy having him in draws where he’s going to be unseeded. So anybody can play Rafa in the first round, so it’s going to be pretty crazy.
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“He’s Rafa, so I think even if he’s going to be maybe a little rusty coming back or it takes some time, he’s still going to be playing really well and he’s still going to be tough for a lot of guys to play early and draws as well just because of him being unseeded.”
But Nadal himself is trying to control expectations around his comeback, admitting that he doesn’t expect things to go well at first. “I expect from myself to expect nothing. To have the ability not to demand myself what I have demanded myself throughout my career,” the 92-time title winner said in a candid video.
“I believe I’m in a different moment, situation. I am in an unexplored terrain,” Nadal said. I have internalised what I have had throughout my life, which is demand myself the maximum. Right now what I really hope is to be able not to do that, to accept things are going to be very difficult at the beginning and give myself the necessary time.”
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