Nadal making ‘big’ steps in recovery, targets return in 2024

Rafael Nadal says he is making “good progress” as he returns from a long injury absence and hopes for a return to tennis in 2024.

Having not played since the Australian Open in January, the 22-time Grand Slam champion returned to training a few weeks ago following iliopsoas surgery in June.

Nadal is now confident in his return, but that wasn’t always the case.

“I’m at a good stage in my life. Until now, I didn’t know if I would ever play tennis again, and now I sincerely believe that I will,” Nadal said.

“I’m not ready to say when yet, but I can train longer and longer and the progress is good.”

The Spaniard is unsure what his return will look like, but said his future will soon become clearer.

“We know the pain will never go away, but I took a step forward. It’s a lot for me,” Nadal said.

“Talking about tennis is a completely different matter, as is the level at which I will be able to play. But the steps towards trying to play again have been big and positive, and that is what we have been fighting for for several months.

“I am confident that I will be able to say something more specific in the coming weeks.”

Although a return to tennis is the immediate goal, Nadal is tempering expectations for what will happen when he returns to the court.

I won’t win more Grand Slams than Djokovic, but I will have the opportunity to have fun again,” Nadal said.

“I hope I play again. You never know what will happen.

“My instinct tells me that it will be very difficult to get back to a good level of tennis. If I didn’t have the hope of trying to be competitive, I wouldn’t do everything I’ve done in recent months at my age and after a long career.”