Rafael Nadal will return to his best in time for Roland Garros and Olympic Games says Emilio Sanchez Vicario

Wednesday, 27 March 2024 at 06:30

Although Rafael Nadal has been dealing with injury over the past year, the Spaniard is likely to return to his best form in time for Roland Garros, according to retired Spanish tennis pro Emilio Sanchez Vicario.

After spending close to a year on the sidelines as he dealt with injuries, Nadal made a brief comeback this year at Brisbane. The former World No.1 withdrew from the Australian Open, and subsequently opted out of Indian Wells, where he was slated to return.

Nadal will improve with more matches under his belt, says Sanchez Vicario

Former World No.7 Sanchez Vicario believes Nadal will have a good summer, regardless of how much time he has spent away from the sport. The 58-year old predicted that his compatriot would play his way into form, and would be close to his previous self by Roland Garros and the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.

"I don’t think he will leave us," said Sanchez Vicario in an interview with EFE. "I think he will play well. I think what he has is [he] a little afraid because the operation bothers him. But if he starts competing on land he will no longer be afraid because he will start competing and if he gets in shape, I believe that at Roland Garros and the Olympic Games he will be 100 per cent at his best. If more damage is not done.
"For me, it’s more of a battle with himself, of freeing himself to play than what he has in himself. Because when he went to Australia he played well. But he played a game that hurt him a little and then he got a lot worried. But on land It’s going to hurt a lot less."

Arthur Ajayi

Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.

As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.

With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.

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