Rafael Nadal says he has no complaints about his current fitness but doesn’t believe he should be considered as a title contender at his upcoming events in Australia.
The former world No.1 is set to make his return to competitive tennis after almost a year of being sidelined by a hip injury which he underwent surgery on during the summer. As a result, Nadal is currently ranked outside the top 600 and next week he will be playing unseeded at a Tour-level event in Brisbane for the first time since 2005.
Earlier in the week both Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz told reporters that their rival has the ability to return to the top of men’s tennis. However, Nadal was more cautious about his chances whilst speaking to the public during a Q&A session on Friday.
“I am feeling good,” said Nadal.
“I can’t complain. I feel much better today than what I expected one month ago, but for me, it’s impossible to think about winning tournaments today.
“What’s possible is to enjoy the comeback to the court.
“I don’t expect much, honestly,” he added. “The only thing that I expect is to be able to go on court, to feel myself competitive and to give my best.”
Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles so far in his career, describes his latest recovery from injury as ‘tough’ and admits that he hasn’t been able to practice as hard as he would have liked to over the past six months. During the off-season, he trained at his academy in Kuwait before heading to Australia. Unlike some of his peers, he opted not to play in any exhibition events.
“It’s not like I’ve been practising with good intensity for the last six months. I just have been practising for the last month in a very good intensity,” he said.
“Nothing is impossible. But for me, just being here is a victory, and I hope that I will have a chance to enjoy, and the crowd too.”
The 37-year-old has received a wildcard into the Brisbane International which will be his first test. The draw is yet to be announced but given his unseeded status, he could face the likes of Holger Rune, Grigor Dimitrov or Ben Shelton in his first match.
It will only be the second time Nadal has played at the Brisbane event after 2017 when he reached the quarter-finals before losing to Milos Raonic.
“Of course, when you are not on the court, you miss a few things,” Nadal commented.
“At the end of the day this is something that I did for almost all my life. So, when you are not able to compete, of course you miss the competition, you miss the fans, you miss playing in the best stadiums, going out and seeing the court full.
“What I missed the most was probably the feeling that you are ready to compete, that you feel ready to enjoy and to go for it.”
The Brisbane International will begin on December 31st.
