The return of the king of clay courts remains unknown after Rafa Nadal’s latest statements about his return to the slopes: “I don’t know when I’ll be back” . On paper, the manacorí’s return was scheduled for a Masters 1,000 of Monte Carlo, which confirmed the presence of the Spaniard: “He was the first to sign up,” said David Massey, director of the tournament in the Principality of Monaco. However, his presence is not so clear.
The iliopsoas injury he suffered at the Australian Open seems to be giving him more trouble than expected and Rafa has decided to be a bit more cautious: “I don’t know where this information comes from, obviously if it were true I would confirm it, but unfortunately I can’t do it. I continue my course and I don’t know when I’ll play again, that’s the truth. I’m in a phase of increasing work , if I knew when I’m going to return I would say so, but I don’t know”, he said after being asked for his return to competition in Monte Carlo.
Even so, the Balearic tennis player is seen with rhythm in each training session and there is some optimism for the clay court tour , where he is expected to sign great participations in Monte Carlo (his participation in the air is still ongoing), Barcelona, Madrid and Rome, before his big date on May 28 at Roland Garros.
However, Toni Nadal, Rafa’s uncle and former coach, subscribed to optimism and, in a statement at the presentation of the Mallorca Championships, conveyed confidence regarding the Spanish’s state of form: “I saw Rafael train the other day and it is at a good level. Then we’ll see in the games, since he may lack rhythm a bit. He has competed very few in the last six months and that always affects him , although he has always been a player who has picked up the thread very quickly,” Toni said.
For this reason, the date of May 28 (the start of Roland Garros) continues to be marked in red on the calendar of a Rafael Nadal who yearns to compete at the highest level before starting the road to the fifteenth Musketeers Cup and upsetting the balance of Grand Slams (23) in his favor against Novak Djokovic.
