Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are confident that legendary tennis player Rafael Nadal will be back to his competitive best during the first grand slam of the year in Australia next month.
Nadal, who has won 22 grand slams, missed the 2023 season due to a hip injury.
The 37-year-old suffered a muscle issue at Melbourne Park in January and underwent surgery. He will make a comeback at Brisbane this weekend before featuring in the Australian Open.
Nadal expects to bring the curtain down on his career in 2024 due to recurring injuries. Despite limited time on the court, Nadal has stepped up his training in recent weeks.
"I always expect him to play at his best, to be honest," Djokovic said before his 4-6 6-4 6-4 defeat by Alcaraz in an exhibition match in Riyadh on Wednesday.
"Many times they've signed him out, they've done that with me as well. But we've proved them wrong. He's not a kind of a player who will come back to the tour just to play, let's say, on a medium level, play a few matches.
"He wants to win titles, he wants to be the best, that's why he is who he is: a legend of our sport. I'm sure his training and preparation is done with an intention to win a Grand Slam."
Alcaraz, who suffered defeats in two of his three meetings with Nadal, said his compatriot was at a 100% after looking at videos of him practising.
"I hear from other players that practised with Rafa in these past weeks and they said he's going to return to his good level. His top level," Alcaraz said.
