Rafael Nadal has been out of action since January this year, but speculations continue to exist in the tennis community about his injury and comeback status. Fellow Spaniard and former World No.3, David Ferrer might have just eased off many of those with some incredible clarity on his close friend. Ferrer claims that according to Nadal, he is just 2 months away from returning to the game.
So in essence, Rafael Nadal has two goals in mind according to David Ferrer. Firstly, the former World No.1 is aiming to return to play for Spain in the Davis Cup Finals which would take place in November 2023 in Malaga. Secondly, clearly Nadal has the French Open 2024 in mind as the Grand Slam he wants to win next and potentially retire after that from the sport.
Rafael Nadal targets grand career finish at French Open 2024
As earlier mentioned by the great man himself, he is all set to return to the ATP Tour by January 2024. Although Rafael Nadal is currently ranked No.139, that does not seem to stop him from dreaming big. Nadal has had his fair share of injuries in the last 2 years, whether it was on his left foot, back, rib, abdomen and now hips.
Rafael Nadal is 37 at the moment, but is very much competitive and training extremely hard back at home according to plan, as per David Ferrer. The successful hip surgery did help and that is now making Nadal visualise his 15th French Open win next year. Earlier this year, Argentina’s Juan Monaco, who is a good friend of Rafael Nadal, claimed that the Spanish legend will continue playing tennis should he win that particular Grand Slam event. However, Ferrer in response, said that it is not necessary as Nadal wants to bow out of the game in style and there is no better way to do it than to come back and win the tournament for one final time.
In an interview with Spanish publication Clay, David Ferrer admitted that he couldn’t say for sure if the French Open 2024 would be Rafael Nadal’s last swansong but one can never rule it out. Novak Djokovic’s form and Grand Slam wins could also play a big role. Ferrer was quoted as saying –
“I don’t know, I don’t know…. I think that if Rafa wins Roland Garros 2024, he would still make the decision. It would be the perfect moment.
“Knowing Rafa, he’s going to want to finish like a great, like what he is. Win Roland Garros. And then we would have to see how many Djokovic wins.”
In the last 4 years, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have locked horns for French Open glory. In 2020, Nadal defeated Djokovic in the final contrary to expectations as he had come back immediately from a long layoff from the game due to coronavirus restrictions and a small-scale injury. But in 2021, Djokovic hit back, beating Nadal in the semifinals en route to winning his 2nd title at Roland Garros.
While in 2022, once again, it was Rafael Nadal who prevailed against Novak Djokovic, in the quarterfinals which was critical in his path to win his 14th title in Paris. This year though, Djokovic made the most of Nadal’s absence, cruising to another Grand Slam on clay.
Is Nadal looking unhealthy at the moment? Some fans believe so
According to David Ferrer, this is not the case as Rafael Nadal is making tremendous progress with his training and recovery from injuries and niggles. Ferrer claimed that Nadal is more worried about returning to the physicality that he is known for, rather than his skill, speed and power, which are still top notch. He remains in good spirits and is motivated enough to return in style in the end of 2023 or start of 2024.
However, a video of Rafael Nadal working out hard at the Rafa Nadal Academy went viral on social media. He was animatedly discussing about his game with uncle and ex-coach, Toni Nadal who seemed to be motivating him. Many fans claimed that Nadal has put on weight and is looking pale while training, which is not a great sign for a professional player.
Off the court, Rafael Nadal has continued to make headlines with his work in the Rafa Nadal Academy as well as new endorsements. Recently, he signed deals with American fast food giant Subway and Indian tech multinational, Infosys. Nadal is also working on setting up a new chain of hotels in Spain and outside his home country in partnership with Melia International called ZEL.
