Alex Corretja questions Nadal's Madrid Open return - "Is it the perfect place for a comeback?"

The Madrid Open is probably not “the perfect place” for Rafael Nadal to make his return to action with tennis analyst Alex Corretja saying it might be better for him to skip the tournament.

After four weeks on the sidelines due to a rib stress fracture picked up at the Indian Wells Open, Nadal announced this week that he has returned to training while his former coach and uncle Toni Nadal revealed that he is eyeing the Madrid Open as a comeback event. He said:

"I think the major decision for Rafa will be to go to Madrid or not. This is probably the most difficult part for Rafa because I believe from what we heard and what we saw that he is practising. In a regular situation, he might be ready to play Madrid, but is Madrid the perfect place for Rafa to come back?"

He further said:

“Knowing that it’s the altitude and that through the clay-court season, that was the place that he usually felt a little bit more uncomfortable because he’s got so much power and he doesn’t control the ball as much as he likes, he’s got some opponents that hurt him in Madrid that usually don’t do [so] in a sea-level place. So is he going to be ready for Madrid? Maybe he is ready, but I’m not so sure that it will be his pick to get back in Madrid.”

He finished off with:

“If he’s healthy, probably he will go, but I think he will need to think what is best for him in order to be perfect for Roland Garros because [whilst] it would be great if he can be in Madrid and it would be unbelievable if he can be in Rome, he can’t hide that his main goal is to be perfect for Paris."