SUMMARY
- Rafael Nadal has shared his struggles with making a comeback to the tour.
- Nadal is not hopeful of playing pain-free this season.
Rafael Nadal has been making tough decisions in his career for the past two years. He has been struggling to remain consistent on the tour. Nadal has only played three matches this season before suffering an injury. He has since not played any matches on the tour. Nadal shared his thoughts on the upcoming months of the season.
The Spaniard was not hopeful of having a full-fledged 2024 season. It could be his career-ending year, depending on his health status. When asked about his plans, Nadal said, “I’m close to succeeding. I don’t know what level I’ll be at in Indian Wells, but it’s the least important thing at the moment. My priority is to leave Indian Wells intact.” He mentioned that the preparation for Indian Wells has not been up to the mark.
🚨 Rafael Nadal 🇪🇸 donne des nouvelles avant son retour à la compétition :
🗣️ « Le plus important pour moi, c’est d’être là. C’est la réalité. Si je suis là, c’est déjà une bonne nouvelle. Je ne sais pas à quel niveau je serai à Indian Wells, mais c’est la chose la moins… pic.twitter.com/72wV6J9PJo
— Univers Tennis 🎾 (@UniversTennis) March 3, 2024
Nadal has been careful not to cause injury to his body again. He has been taking enough rest between events this year. The former world No. 1 is yet to play a clay court event this season. Fans hope he performs well at the Paris Olympics and the French Open. He is expected to play at Indian Wells starting later this week.
Rafael Nadal set to make comeback to tour at Indian Wells
Nadal will be playing at Indian Wells for the first time since 2022. He had to skip the event last year due to a hip injury but will now stage his return to the tour at the event. It will be his 16th appearance at Indian Wells, and he has played 70 matches. Nadal has won 59 matches at Indian Wells and reached the finals in 2022 while losing to Taylor Fritz.
The 37-year-old made his debut at Indian Wells in 2004 and reached the third round. Nadal went on to reach at least the semifinals in the next eight editions. He went on to lift the trophy in 2007, 2009, and 2013. Nadal was the runner-up in 2011 and 2022. He remains the only Spaniard in the history of the ATP tour to have won more than one title at Indian Wells.
🇪🇸 🇺🇸 Rafael Nadal at Indian Wells:
Titles: 🏆🏆🏆
Runner-Up: 🥈🥈
Matches Won: 84.3% [59-11]
Top 10 Wins: 60.0% [9-6]
Bagels: 🥯🥯🥯🥯🥯What are his chances this year? pic.twitter.com/uetNc5J8fS
— Swish 🍒 (@Zwxsh) March 2, 2024
The 22-time grand slam champion has begun his practice sessions at Indian Wells. He rallied with Grigor Dimitrov a few days ago and looked sharp on the court. After the first two rounds of qualifiers, fans will get to know the draws of the players as Nadal will hope for a smooth passage at the Masters 1000 event. The main draw of the Indian Wells will be announced soon.