Rafael Nadal Confident on His Comeback Despite ‘Very Tough Period’ Due to His Injury

Rafael Nadal suffered a major setback this year with a foot injury. The Spaniard withdrew from all the tournaments since his last participation at Washington Open. The 20-time Grand Slam champion is ready to make his comeback in December at Abu Dhabi.

Moreover, recently in a conversation with former F1 driver Nico Rosberg, Nadal revealed he’s very excited and confident about his return to tennis. The former World No. 1 also talked about the growing mental obstacles that come with aging in the sport.

Rafael Nadal talks about aging down and injury

In a recent conversation with Nico Rosberg, Rafael Nadal opened up on a plethora of topics. From aging down to dealing with injuries, Nadal is pretty optimistic about his comeback to professional tennis. The Spaniard was away from the ATP Tour since August 2021.

On getting older, he stated, ”  When you get a bit older, the feelings are different in all terms. But at the same time, even today, I had a very tough period of time in terms of my foot injury. So I need to come back hopefully by the beginning of next year.”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates match point during his Men’s Singles semi-final match against Matteo Berrettini of Italy on day twelve of the 2019 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 06, 2019 in Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Furthermore, he added, “ Of course, I’m going to have some doubts, but I know the process, I have been there plenty of times. It’s true that every time as you get older it gets more difficult [to recover] but I am very excited by the process and by the things that I have to do to try to be back. So, even with doubts, I am confident that if I am able to play without much pain, I will have my chances.”

Even at the age of 35, Rafael Nadal feels he will have his chances of playing at the highest level. The Spaniard last won a Grand Slam title at French Open 2020.

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Nadal to play at Australian Open 2022

WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 04: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates a shot during a match against Jack Sock of the United States on Day 5 during the Citi Open at Rock Creek Tennis Center on August 4, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

We are just a couple of months away from the Australian Open 2022. Just ahead of the ‘Happy Slam’, Rafael Nadal has announced that he’ll be participating in the tournament. Notably, Nadal will be making his 17th appearance at the Australian Open 2022. However, he has just triumphed once in 2009, defeating Roger Federer in an exciting five-set encounter.

What do you think? Will Rafael Nadal lift his 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open 2022?

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