Coach Toni Nadal believes his nephew, tennis player Rafael Nadal, is fit to compete in the 2024 Australian Open after nearly a year off to recover from injury.
"Nadal is very cautious, that's what he has to do," Toni Nadal told Spanish media about the "King of Clay"'s condition on November 2. "I think Nadal will play at the Australian Open after watching him practice. Every day he improves a little bit and that's very positive."
Nadal has not played for more than nine months. Photo: EFE
The 2024 Australian Open starts on January 16. Nadal has been out of action since his early exit from a Grand Slam earlier this year. He has been struggling with a hip injury and has not set a date for his return. In recent interviews, Nadal has left open the possibility of retiring from tennis next year. He also set a goal of playing at Roland Garros and the Paris Olympics before ending his two-decade career.
"This is a high-level sport and at the end of the day you almost have to play with pain," added coach Toni. "Unfortunately, Nadal pushed his body to the limit."
Coach Toni said Nadal is aware of his complicated situation. With the current ATP ranking of 240, the 37-year-old will face strong opponents right from the first rounds of the Australian Open. Mr. Toni said that this could be the reason why Nadal has to consider entering the tournament.
"It's difficult for Nadal to meet strong opponents early on, because he has a habit of starting slowly and only becomes dangerous from the quarter-finals," said the 62-year-old coach, who is currently coaching Felix Auger-Aliassime.
If Nadal skips the Australian Open, he will return to his clay court season, with Roland Garros and the Olympics both taking place in Paris. Coach Toni believes Nadal will most likely play doubles at the Olympics with his junior Carlos Alcaraz, who is ranked second in the world .
"Together with Alcaraz, Nadal can form a good pair," said Toni. "If Alcaraz is in good shape, he has the potential to win a gold medal in singles or doubles."
Vy Anh
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