Rafael Nadal’s comeback may be sooner than anyone would have thought as the Spaniard may appear on the court as early as mid-February, as per tennis pundit Laura Robson.
Nadal made his long-awaited comeback at the Brisbane International this month after a 12-month-long absence but he suffered a new injury that forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open.
After the Spaniard’s latest injury, there were speculations that the 22-time Grand Slam winner may call time on his illustrious career due to never-ending injuries, but that is not going to happen as he is eager to return to the court as early as possible.
Robson confirmed that during a conversation with Nadal, he revealed that he plans to mark his return in Doha in February.
“Being boots on the ground, I’ve been chatting away to some Spanish coaches over the last 48 hours and last I heard the plan was for [Nadal] to restart in Doha, which is actually just around the corner,” she said during a Eurosport broadcast.
The Qatar Open will begin at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on February 19 and Nadal, being a former winner, may appear. Although he last won the tournament in 2014, his last appearance was in 2016 when he finished runner-up, losing the final to Novak Djokovic.
“Clearly the injury isn’t that bad, he’s going to manage it,” said Robson. “Whether he actually plays [Doha], we’ll see, but the fact that he’s even hopeful to be out there that quickly after withdrawing from the Aussie Open is really great news.”
Nadal is also set to participate in an exhibition match, named The Netflix Slam, against Carlos Alcaraz at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on March 3. This marks a significant moment for the streaming giant Netflix, as it will be their inaugural live broadcast of a tennis match.
Should he successfully navigate through the Doha and exhibition fixtures, his subsequent appearance could be at the Sunshine Double, with the Indian Wells Open occurring from March 6-17, followed by the Miami Open from March 21-31.
Alternatively, he may choose to forego the two ATP Masters 1000 hard-court tournaments and concentrate on the clay-court circuit, with the Monte-Carlo Masters expected to be his first competition on this surface, commencing on April 8.
