Rafael Nadal has admitted that he still feels “pain” when he trains as he bids to try and return to competition. The 37-year-old has not played a match since January when he picked up a season-ending psoas injury. Nadal recently returned to the practice court but still can’t commit to a comeback at the Australian Open as he continues to struggle with discomfort.
There had originally been hopes that Nadal would be back Down Under come January when Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley announced his participation. “We can reveal exclusively here that Rafa will be back. He’s been off for most of the year, and in talking to him over the last few days he confirmed he will be back, which we’re really excited about. That’s awesome,” he told the Today show.
Nadal’s team and the man himself quickly shut down those claims as the 22-time Major winner said he appreciated the “vote of confidence” from the Australian Open and was working hard to be back. And there has been no movement on Nadal’s uncertainty about Australia as he again refused to commit to a return date.
“My first realistic option to be back on the professional court would be January in Australia, but right now, I really can’t confirm something I don’t know,” the former world No 1 said during an event at Madrid’s Museo del Traje. Nadal also confirmed that he was training more than he had done previously but everything else was still uncertain.
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He continued: “Nothing has changed in the last few weeks except for the fact that I’m training a bit more than before, which is an accomplishment for me and my mental health. I’m on the right path but I’m in unknown territory because it’s an injury I haven’t had before. Even so, I’m still looking forward to it. I wish I could know when I’m coming back but that’s not the case.”
And there have been positive signs coming out of Nadal’s practices at his Mallorcan academy as he has continued to increase his intensity in every session. But the Spaniard caused concern as he admitted he was still dealing with pain, even if it allowed him to do a bit more.
“I’m not training without pain. I’m in less pain than I used to be, but I’m still in pain,” he explained. “However, this pain allows me to do more and more things eventually. Things would be different if I had zero pain. I could give you a date for my return if I had zero pain because I would have time to prepare myself for that.
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“I’m training more now than a month ago but I’m taking it one day at a time. Let’s see if I have the chance to increase the intensity to come back little by little.” It remains to be seen when Nadal mounts his comeback and how long he continues to play for.
Back in May, the 22-time Major winner called a press conference to announce his withdrawal from the French Open and simultaneously reveal that 2024 may be his final season on the tennis circuit, where he could embark on something of a farewell tour. He later underwent arthroscopic surgery in June and has since confessed that he won’t commit to a definite retirement next season.
“I’m not sure what I’ll be doing in 2024, because it will change completely depending on what my objectives are. If I don’t recover, that’s one thing, if I can compete at a level that excites me, that’s another,” he previously told AS.
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