Top analyst downplays Rafael Nadal comeback news as he makes prediction
Alex Corretja has cooled talk that Rafael Nadal is already planning to return at the Australian Open and insisted his compatriot will not yet have made a decision on his comeback.
The two-time French Open runner-up revealed he is not expecting the 22-time Grand Slam champion to announce his plans for the 2024 season until December.
Nadal has not competed since suffering a hip injury in his second round loss to Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open in January.
The 37-year-old champion underwent surgery on the issue in June, having initially expected to be out for only six to eight weeks. He was forced to postpone his proposed comeback during the clay-court season.
Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley claimed last week that Nadal had told him he would compete at the 2024 edition of the Melbourne major in January.
“We can reveal exclusively here that Rafa will be back. He’s been off for most of the year, and in talking to him over the last few days he confirmed he will be back, which we’re really excited about. That’s awesome,” said Tiley.
READ MORE: Why Craig Tiley’s sensational Rafael Nadal news should be taken with a pinch of salt
In an interview with Eurosport, Corretja played down the news shared by the Australian Open chief and explained why it is too early for Nadal to have decided.
“After taking a while from not playing tennis, I was thinking that Rafa will be the one announcing when he’s going to be back. But the announcement was a bit like a wrong foot for everyone,” admitted the Spaniard.
“At the beginning, I thought maybe that’s something that they talked to each other about and planned it like this. But then after I saw what Rafa said, I felt like, ‘okay, they need to be very careful what they say about Rafa’s news.’
“Because it’s still almost three months away from the Australian Open, lots of things can happen and I don’t think it’s necessary to put the whole pressure on yourself like, ‘oh yeah, I’m going to be there’. Because you don’t know how you’re going to react, how your body is going to feel after you start playing sets, after you do some more fitness.
“After you play three hours one day and maybe how is your body for the next day? And this is pretty much what you need to do before you go into a Grand Slam, especially after such a long time without playing.”
The former world No 2 expressed his hope that Nadal would return, though, and predicted when he thinks the Mallorcan will reveal his intentions for his comeback.
“Hopefully, he’s going to announce he’s coming back. But I’m not expecting that before the middle of December,” continued Corretja.
“Maybe because that would be pretty much the time that I believe that he will know if he is ready to start the season in Australia or not. But if he does that before, that would be awesome. We are waiting for Rafa desperately.”
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