Return of Rafael Nadal to the ATP circuit has a clear deadline. What to expect from the Spaniard?

Long-awaited return of Rafael Nadal to the ATP circuit finally has a clear outline. When and where will it happen? Can we expect the Spaniard’s assault on Grand Slam victories or will the 37-year-old tennis player only symbolically bid farewell to his tennis career?

He has repeatedly filled the sporting columns, and yet it has not happened. Nadal’s return to the ATP tournament carousel was constantly announced, anticipated and anticipated. Now the Mallorca native has made his position clear.

And he has made tennis fans happy with his announcement. Nadal will join the tennis action in the very first possible date of the new season in Brisbane, Australia.

Views vary as to what the Spaniard will bring to the courts. After all, he has already shown a lot in his rich career, including great restarts after a long health break.

Return of Nadal = Djokovic’s threat?

According to the most optimistic visions, Nadal will be a threat to the world’s top tennis players, including Novak Djokovic. What does it matter that he hasn’t played at the highest level in almost a year? After all, he showed a similar comeback in 2017 when he won two Grand Slams.

A similar feat was seen in the 2022 season. The Spaniard then captured the Australian Open and the subsequent Roland Garros after a break.

But you can’t stop time. And the break this year was longer after all. And even in the last period before it, Nadal was not an unbeatable machine.

The king of clay

It is certainly more realistic to expect the 14-time French Open winner to be a terror to his opponents, especially on clay. The latter is his natural environment.

After all, he won five of the six Paris Grand Slams before his absence. Since 2017, only Djokovic has stopped him in an epic battle at Roland Garros 2021. Between 2010 and 2015, Nadal triumphed in Paris five times in a row.

Moreover, in the case of 2024, a welcome bonus awaits Nadal and all clay lovers. In July/August, the Roland Garros venue will also host the Summer Olympics. And Nadal’s participation there would be a great thing, given his success on the clay in Paris.

Finally..

Health is an essential prerequisite for all tennis players, but in Nadal’s case the issue is even more pressing. Among tennis fans, there are quite a few who see the Spaniard’s return to the courts as merely a symbolic punctuation to his career.

But Nadal has not rushed his comeback and let’s believe that, barring any serious health problems, the winner of 22 grand slams on the ATP tour will bring a lot of excitement and a dose of emotions.

Nothing against Djokovic’s tennis dominance, but his rivalry with Nadal was missing here. Let’s hope we get to enjoy it for a while now.

Source: ATP, X