“I want to fight again for everything,” Rafael Nadal reveals ‘pain’ is not a barrier as he targets Australian Open glory

“I want to fight again for everything,” Rafael Nadal reveals ‘pain’ is not a barrier as he targets Australian Open glory

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal will make his much awaited comeback at the Mubadala Exhibition in Abu Dhabi this week. The Spaniard has been out of action for almost over four months, after suffering a left foot injury. However, the Spaniard is known to fight back from career-threatening injuries, and fans would expect nothing different this time.

Rafael Nadal will play his first match after his defeat to Lloyd Harris at Washington Open in early August. The Spaniard has missed some high profile tournaments this year, which includes Wimbledon, US Open 2021 and Tokyo Olympics.

Speaking in the pre-tournament post-conference, the 35-year-old revealed he was super excited to be back again. “I am super happy to be back. It’s not about pain. I had pain a lot of times during my career, almost all the time, it’s more about having the chance to have a pain that I can manage to compete well,” said Rafael Nadal.

“Let’s see. I need to try it in competition. Of course, I am feeling better, if not I will not be here. I know the comeback will be not easy. I don’t have big expectations now,” he added.

Rafael Nadal added that his main aim is to slowly start finding his rhythm, and play against the best players in front of fully-packed stadium.

“My only expectation is to be here, to play in front of a great crowd again, to feel myself competing again against great players, and then enjoy. It has been a very tough period of time for me, honestly, so just to be here is great news for me,” the 35-year-old continued.

Rafael Nadal reveals his goal of competing at the highest level

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Rafael Nadal hopes that his foot gets better with time, and he can return to the top of tennis once again. Nevertheless, he expects that it will be a long road ahead, but believes that things could change pretty quickly.

“I really hope the foot is going to get better and better to be again at the level that I want to be. If I am able to play with no limitations, I want to fight again for everything, so that’s the goal. My experience says that things change very quick. What today seems impossible or almost impossible, nobody knows what can happen in one month,” said Nadal.

Rafael Nadal revealed that in lead up to the Australian Open 2022, the Spaniard was going to play just one tournament if things go according to plan. Hence, the two games in Abu Dhabi could really help his judge as to where he stands, and decide his plans for the upcoming Australian summer.

“It’s going to be super difficult for me. If things are going well, I’m only going to play one tournament before Australia and these two matches here so the amount of hours on court at the competitive level before such a tough and demanding tournament like Australia will be not much but the main thing is still always the same – be healthy. If I am healthy, I still have the interior fire to keep going and to fight for my goals,” Nadal added.

Also Read: WATCH: VAMOS! Rafael Nadal prepares intensely for 2022 Tennis season at his academy!