Rafael Nadal: How could you not imagine another “Miracle in Melbourne” or a swan song at the Roland Garros amid the videos that are coming from his practice sessions?
After a brief period of inaction during which he stared at his box, Rafael Nadal broke into a smile that could only be described as one of disbelief. This smile was born out of sheer disbelief at the complete madness that had come to an end at Melbourne Park on that January night in 2022, as well as at the obstacles he had overcome over the course of the previous six months or more in order to finally win the Australian Open again. The crowded Rod Laver venue venue erupted into a yelling full house as Nadal fell to his knees, his face buried in his palm.
Six months prior to that incredible Melbourne night, Rafael Nadal had his left foot bandaged and was using crutches. Due to a foot ailment that had plagued him throughout his career, he had to finish his 2021 season early. There were moments when he could hardly move in his room due to the unbearable discomfort. The recuperation process proved to be more challenging than he had anticipated, ultimately pushing him to the brink, prompting him to contemplate retirement. That was 1.5 months before he was set to head to Adelaide, where he had won the ATP 250 championship prior to his trip to Melbourne.
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That Sunday night, Nadal faced another titanic struggle that was nearly unthinkable for a man of his caliber. Even though Rafael Nadal is more of a front-runner than a counterpuncher by nature, his career has been characterized by come-from-behind victories and fighting until the very end. And that is precisely what the Spaniard accomplished after trailing in the third set and dropping the first two, with the AI win predictor predicting a just 4% possibility of a reversal. The tennis expert Craig O’Shannessy, who worked closely with Novak Djokovic, may have captured the essence of Rafael Nadal’s approach when he said, “One of the best strategies ever is to just hang around.” Simply stay put when things aren’t going your way. Stay put and don’t go.”
From looking like he was about to call it quits on his incredible career, Rafael Nadal turned in one of his best performances after winning the Australian Open. He went on to win 20 straight matches on the hardcourt season, recapture the French Open title, and finish 22-1 overall in Grand Slams. If someone believes Rafael Nadal can’t do anything similar when he returns to action in Brisbane during the first week of January, then that person is lying.
Nadal’s 2023 schedule was shortened considerably early than in 2021 due to a hip injury he sustained during the Australian Open. He tried to make a comeback during the clay court season, but he was unable to recuperate in time, therefore he had to give up his chance to win a possible 15th French Open. Nadal spent the rest of the year recovering from an arthroscopic procedure for his ailing left hip flexor later in June, just after turning 37. However, Nadal gave an impassioned news conference at his Manocar academy prior to surgery, promising a comeback in 2024, inspiring optimism among tennis players worldwide. Furthermore, as Hollywood icon Andy Dufresne once stated, “Hope is the best of things and no good things ever die.”
World tennis was ecstatic on a fairly quiet December 1st evening when Rafael Nadal formally announced that he would make his comeback the first week of January, using Brisbane International as his springboard tournament before moving on to the Australian Open.
What can we anticipate from Rafael Nadal following a protracted absence due to injury?
In contrast to 2021, when Nadal refrained from using social media, leaving fans to conjecture and imagine for themselves, footage of the Spaniard’s practice routines have been widely available on the internet since September of this year. And the 22-time Grand Slam winner has been getting fitter every day. The run-around forehands were deadly, but the backhand appeared as sharp as always. How could you not imagine a “Miracle in Melbourne” or a Roland Garros swan song or a dream teaming up with Carlos Alcaraz to win an Olympic gold medal?
Nadal did concede, though, that he has lower expectations for his comeback to competition following a year off. “I’ve been hesitant to make announcements since I will ultimately be missing a year of competition due to a hip procedure. However, it’s everything else that scares me more than the hip, he stated in a Monday Instagram video. “I think I’m ready and I trust and hope that things go well and that it gives me the opportunity to enjoy myself on the court.”Nadal stressed that he realizes things can be different after so much time without competing, referring to it as “unexplored territory.”
For every athlete, it is never easy to recover from an injury. But things can be 10 times worse for a player who is returning to the field after 348 games—the longest he has missed due to injury in his injury-plagued career. Although it’s a Grand Slam event, a best-of-five sets match is significantly more brutal, and Nadal’s performance in Brisbane will determine a lot about his fate at the Australian Open. Though it would be unrealistic to expect Nadal to win the title in Melbourne given the presence of Djokovic, a rejuvenated Jannik Sinner, and Alcaraz, things should definitely start to pick up for Nadal, who will undoubtedly want to be at his best for the Olympics and Roland Garros in Paris.
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