Toni revealed that Rafael Nadal is recovering well after more than eight months out of competition, but it will be difficult for him to catch up with Novak Djokovic in the future.
"Rafa is doing well after surgery, recovering according to schedule," Toni Nadal told El Desmarque on September 11. "If everything goes well, he wants to return to competition at the Australian Open next year."
Nadal hasn't competed since the 2023 Australian Open, where he was eliminated in the second round by Mackenzie McDonald. The Spaniard underwent hip surgery in June and is unlikely to return for the remainder of the season. A few months ago, Nadal stated that 2024 would be the final season of his career.
Nadal suffered an injury at the 2023 Australian Open. Photo: AP
Since Nadal last competed, Novak Djokovic has won three more Grand Slams: the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and the 2023 US Open. From holding the record of 22 Grand Slam titles, Nadal has been surpassed by his Serbian rival in the race for major titles. Nole now has 24 Grand Slams, two more than Nadal.
"Djokovic is a great champion and it would be very difficult to catch up with him, not just for my nephew but for anyone," commented Toni, who coached Nadal from the beginning of his career until 2017. "It's very difficult to determine who is the best in history. You have to choose Djokovic, because the statistics of titles support him."
Last week, while Djokovic was competing at the US Open, Toni Nadal said that the Serbian player benefited partly because the players now aren't as good as the stars of the previous decade, and that tennis 10 years ago was more competitive than it is now. But after Nole defeated Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final, Nadal's uncle had a different view of Djokovic.
"Although I think Roger Federer can sometimes play at a higher level, Djokovic is definitely the best when you consider the statistics," the 62-year-old strategist concluded.
Match highlights of the 2023 US Open final on September 10th.
A few days ago, the captain of the Spanish Davis Cup team, David Ferrer, said that Nadal could return as early as November if the team qualified for the final of the prestigious team competition. But according to Toni Nadal, this is unlikely to happen.
In this week's ATP rankings update, Nadal has been knocked out of the top 200 for the first time in 20 years. He dropped to 239th in the world , a drop of 100 places compared to before the US Open. The "King of Clay" now only has 255 ATP points and will lose another 210 points for the remainder of the year.
Vy Anh
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