TENNIS
Toni Nadal says Rafa is close to competing again
Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni said the 22-time major winner is taking big steps towards his full recovery after not playing in an official match since the Australian Open.
Roland Garros is getting closer and many tennis fans are already wondering if they will see Rafa Nadal back in action in the Parisian clay this year.
Although Rafa’s recovery is taking longer than expected and has kept him off the courts since January, his uncle, Toni Nadal, sent an optimistic message to the tennis community.
Nadal’s last official game was in the second round of the Australian Open when he lost to Mackenzie MacDonald in three sets after having appeared to suffer a hip injury during the clash.
He was supposed to return to action after six to eight weeks, but in the end, he missed a big part of the clay season, his favorite moment of the ATP calendar.
Nadal, expected to play Roland Garros
Nadal’s main goal is to be able to feature in the second Grand Slam tournament of the season, Roland Garros, where he will try to lift his 15th title and overtake Novak Djokovic for most majors won ever in the men’s singles category.
“Rafael is recovering, I think he is not long before he can compete again, but in this tournament (the Madrid Open) he could not be here”, Toni said to Radio Televisión Española (RTVE) in Madrid.
“This is one of the tournaments that he is the most excited to play but we will have to wait for another year. He is not going to arrive at Roland-Garros with good preparation, we do not have to fool ourselves”, he added.
Toni also believes that even if his nephew doesn’t get to Paris in the best of conditions, he might get the form back during the first matches.
“Before Australia, he didn’t play many matches either, but Nadal picks up speed right away and in a Grand Slam it depends a lot on the draw. If you are lucky enough to have a reasonable draw in the first rounds, then anything can happen. I have said many times. Nadal in the second week [of a Grand Slam] is a favorite”, he explained.
After the Madrid Open, there will only be three tournaments to be held before the start of Roland Garros, the Rome Masters, and two 250 events in Geneva and Lyon.
The best scenario for Nadal would be featuring in one of those tournaments before flying to the French capital, but he may prefer going conservative and keep having intense training sessions instead.