Toni Nadal jokes about how Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic can ‘help’ Rafael Nadal at Australian Open
Toni Nadal is bullish that his nephew Rafael Nadal will play at next year’s Australian Open although he joked that the Spaniard will need some “help” from the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic if he is to have a good run at the tournament.
Talk about tennis legend Nadal’s impending return to competitive tennis is gathering pace as the 22-time Grand Slam winner has taken tentative comeback steps after spending the past 10 months on the sidelines.
The 37-year-old sustained a hip injury during his second-round defeat at this year’s Australian Open and he was forced to undergo surgery in June.
The former world No 1 has returned to training and just a week ago Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley revealed that he is on course to play at next year’s season-opening Grand Slam.
Nadal himself has warned that he is not yet 100% certain if he will play in Australia, but his former coach and uncle Toni is optimistic as he also joked that the former world No 1 will need his big rivals Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev to fall by the wayside.
“He wants to play the Australian Open. I have seen in the last few days that he is practising. He’s practising much better,” the 62-year-old told the Mallorca Daily Bulletin.
“Now what we need is an injury of Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and maybe Medvedev. We need them to have a lot of problems, then Rafa can play very well.
“He wants to play and a few weeks ago my son asked him what happened this year and he said he had injuries this year and wants to have a very good year [in 2024]. It is the dream of my nephew [to have a good year next year] because he wants to retire and he wants to play competitively one more year.
“We have to wait, but we have to wait.”
READ MORE: Rafael Nadal makes big claim over Carlos Alcaraz as he assesses young guns
Earlier this week, Nadal gave his first official update about his hopes for the start of the 2024 tennis season as he admitted that he can’t yet confirm when he will play, although he is on the “right path”.
“My first realistic option to be back on the professional court would be January in Australia, but right now, I really can’t confirm something I don’t know,” he said.
“Nothing has changed in the last few weeks except for the fact that I’m training a bit more than before, which is an accomplishment for me and my mental health.
“I’m on the right path but I’m in unknown territory because it’s an injury I haven’t had before.”
