I don’t know when I will be back, but I am working a lot everyday to compete again, says Rafael Nadal
Follow Us
Rafael Nadal
Tennis legend Rafael Nadal has always been hampered by injuries throughout his celebrated career. In fact, the Spaniard has often missed a major part of the second half of the season due to various, recurring injury issues.
After injuring his foot during the North American hard-court swing at the Citi Open in Washington, the 20-time Grand Slam champion announced that he will be shutting shop for the rest of 2021. That said, the former World No.1 in a recent chat to Heraldo revealed that he is focusing on recovering fully from the injury, but remains realistic about the road ahead.
“I want to recover from the injury to return in top condition. I don’t know when I’ll play again, I work a lot every day, I follow a specific plan, obviously with a marked road map and very clear objectives,” said Nadal.
The 36-year-old further added that although he has his goals clearly sorted in his mind, he doesn’t want to rush into getting back onto the court, without fully recovering.
“I won’t say what the goals are because there are things that I can’t control one hundred percent, but inside my head I am clear about what my goals are and I trust that things will follow a positive course to be able to try to compete. I work a lot every day to try first, recover, and second, when I am recovered to be prepared to play again in full condition,” added Nadal further.
Nadal was also spotted returning to the court in Mallorca for a practice session a few days ago. While it appears that he might stage a comeback, ahead of the 2022 Australian Open, the 13-time French Open winner didn’t commit to any date or time for returning to action.
“I don’t know when I will be back. I went in for a little aggressive treatment on my foot. I am recovering. I work a lot every day in order to try to compete again,” the Mallorcan explained.
Rafael Nadal likely to remain in top-10
After missing out on several marquee events such as the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, the 2021 US Open, the 2021 Indian Wells Masters and the upcoming 2021 Bercy Masters(Paris Masters), Nadal has slipped in the ATP rankings. Currently, the top Spaniard is ranked No.6.
However, the King of Clay is unlikely to exit the top-10 rankings despite not playing the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals. With Dominic Thiem and Roger Federer’s time away from the game, Nadal will likely enter 2022 inside the top-10.
Also Read: ‘I am 100% sure that Roger Federer’s goal is Wimbledon next year,’ says Tommy Haas
Stay Updated!
Vivek Krishnan
(767 Articles Published)