Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou recently discussed Rafael Nadal and his impending comeback in 2024. The Spaniard is set to return next year for his supposedly final season. However, Mouratoglou believes Nadal is only subverting the expectations of fans. He opined that the legendary player is coming back for the titles and not only to bid farewell.
Nadal was reportedly looking to return earlier than expected at the Davis Cup Final in November. Spain, though, failed to progress from the group stage. The veteran will now target the 2024 Australian Open. Nadal will likely utilise the first Slam of the year to find his groove before challenging for a title on his favourite hunting grounds, the French Open.
Rafael Nadal will push for titles, says Patrick Mouratoglou
Nadal has been recovering since pulling out midway through the 2023 Australian Open. Discussing his comeback, he said that he wants to enjoy the 2024 season as it will ‘probably’ be his last (via Tennis365). He added that his main goal is to savour and bid goodbye to all the major tournaments by participating for the final time. Nadal said he does not expect to win any Grand Slams right away after his return. But he further clarified that it is not impossible (via Hindustan Times).
Mouratoglou sounded confident in Nadal’s abilities. He said the Spaniard does not want the burden of expectations and wants fans to believe that he is returning only to bid adieu. The Frenchman, whose Mouratoglou Academy rivals the Rafa Nadal Academy as the top centers in tennis, claimed the 22-time Majors winner will play to his full potential and try to win titles.
“When it comes to Rafa, I understand that he doesn’t want to feel that pressure and he wants people to think that he will come next year to say goodbye. But that’s not the kind of person he is. He is going to play fully.”
Mouratoglou said Nadal will have sufficient time to train. But, according to the star coach, the biggest question is Nadal’s fitness after his return. If the 14-time French Open champion remains fit, he will be the favourite to grab yet another Roland Garros title, as per Mouratoglou.
“He will have enough time to train. Historically he is a player who needs to play a lot. The question is: how injury free will he be in 2024? If he is pain-free and can play next year, there is no reason to think that he will not be the favorite for Roland Garros.”
With Spain not making it to the Davis Cup Final, Nadal has a couple more months to work on himself. Targeting a return at the Australian Open in January 2024 is a wise choice. He will want to recuperate fully before taking to the court and will likely be highly selective of tournaments in 2024.
Nadal not a contender for the Australian Open – Mouratoglou
Rafael Nadal is set to come back at the 2024 Australian Open, one year before withdrawing midway from the same event. As he mentioned before, expecting him to win the Grand Slam right away is not realistic. He will, however, want to get an idea of where he stands compared to his fellow competitors. Nadal’s main goal will be his cherished Slam, the French Open. If fit, he will be amongst the favorites regardless of how long he was out for.
Mouratoglou said Nadal won’t win the Australian Open and is playing to see if he still can play at the top tier. He said the Spaniard won’t play for long if he feels he is not at the level to win Slams.
“Will he be ready to win the Australian Open? The odds will be low. He wants to see if he is still capable of winning a Grand Slam or if he is far away. If you’re far from feeling like you can win a Grand Slam, you’ll probably stop. I don’t think he’s going to play just to be number 20 in the world, but if he feels like he can still win, I think he’ll continue. Again, unless he has an injury that we ignore.”
Mouratoglou is not wrong as Nadal is renowned for his competitiveness. He will surely try to win at least one more Majors before hanging up his boots. And no Slam is more apt than Roland Garros for the King of Clay.
