Rafael
Nadal spoke about the expectations generated by his comeback at the 2024
Brisbane International, where the 22-times Grand Slam champion secured a
remarkable victory against Dominic Thiem with a scoreline of 7-5, 6-1. Despite
Thiem not being in his prime, it was a high-level match in Nadal's return
against a former Grand Slam champion.
Fans were
thrilled by the Spaniard's performance. Despite being nearly a year away from
the courts, Nadal returned at a competitive level that excites enthusiasts
about what his 2024 season might hold. However, Nadal downplayed the
significance, stating, "I have been honest, and for me, nothing changed.
It's only a positive start. I mean, it's just one match after a year that I
played quite well, honestly. If we take all the circumstances that have been
before that match, it has been a very positive match. I mean, it's just a
match."
The Spanish
player has tried to keep low expectations and be cautious about the level he
can offer, emphasizing the importance of staying physically healthy:
"First and most important thing today is to stay healthy, honestly. I
mean, my way to approach that didn't change at all after this match. My way to
approach is just to try to enjoy every single day that I have the chance to be
on the court."
He also
highlighted the significance of accumulating official matches to quickly regain
competitive rhythm: "If I am able to play more matches, it will be more
helpful in terms of recovering things that, of course, you need to recover if
you want to be competitive."
Nadal doesn’t
feel pressured heading into the
Australian Open and emphasized that his goals
are a bit more distant. The former world No. 1 aims to arrive in optimal
conditions for the clay season and deliver his best performance there:
"For me, my goal is still medium-term, in a couple of months to try to be,
again, competitive. Now, if I am competitive, fantastic, but it's something
that I, for me, is going to be a big surprise if I am competitive at a good
level. Let's see. Day by day. Today is a positive day. Let's see after
tomorrow."