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Rafael Nadal has shared a concerning update on his return to the court on social media, insisting that he is unsure of how well he will be able to perform following surgery to resolve recurring injury problems. The Spaniard spoke about his intentions following his extended spell on the sidelines but lacked conviction when discussing whether he will be back to his best when he returns.
Nadal has not featured since sustaining a psoas injury in January, prompting fears to grow that he could be tempted to retire rather than embark on a long recovery journey. However, the 37-year-old soon ruled out that possibility, despite admitting he had had doubts.
Instead, Nadal is keen to compete in 2024 and has now revealed that he will be returning at a 250 tournament soon. Though the update from the tennis legend did not appear to be entirely positive due to how the former world No. 1 lacked belief when speaking about the level he would be able to perform at.
In a video shared on X (Twitter), Nadal said: “It’s been a long year in which I’ve gone through many phases, from trying to get back to compete at the clay season, week after week, disappointment after disappointment. Then I had to decide to stop and say ‘enough’ and look for a definite solution, which was the surgery.
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“Since then, everything has been a new horizon, a difficult path, but always with the hope of coming back. Of course, I have had many doubts, of course, there were moments where it seemed impossible that this moment would come.
“But we’ve maintained the work spirit and hope and I think I am ready. I don’t know at what level, I don’t know what to expect, I have no idea, but I don’t care right now. I’m just happy to be back and with great excitement to make the effort that is necessary to have fun and I believe that I will be competitive.
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“I have finally had good training weeks at a level that allows me to have the possibility to compete again. I have gone through many phases, but today I think it’s time. I’m coming back in a tournament that I’ve played in the past, that I’m familiar with, a 250 tournament. I know it’s a difficult tournament but I hope to be ready to compete.
“I don’t aspire to anything else, (just) to be competitive.” It remains to be seen whether Nadal is more convincing when he takes to the court in the not-too-distant future, or if the all-time great’s reasons to be doubtful over his ability are justified having been out of action for such an extended spell.
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