"We do not have to fool ourselves": Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni admits nephew won't be 100% for Roland Garros but is 'recovering'

In a recent interview, Toni Nadal confirmed that Rafael Nadal is nearing a competitive return but it's unlikely that he will be 100 % prepared for Roland Garros.

Nadal has been out since January due to a hip injury sustained at the Australian Open. He was optimistic about a return in North America but the recovery process didn't go as everybody anticipated forcing him to postpone his return even further.

He recently updated everyone about his condition admitting that the initial timetable got pushed back quite a bit due to these circumstances.

He's still working on his return and it's inching closer according to his uncle Toni Nadal:

“Rafael is recovering, I think he is not long before he can compete again, but in this tournament [the Madrid Open] he could not be here. This is one of the tournaments that he is the most excited to play but we will have to wait for another year.”

He added that Nadal likely won't be 100 % for Roland Garros:

“Obviously he is not going to arrive at Roland-Garros with good preparation, we do not have to fool ourselves. Since January 10 [18th] he hasn’t played matches and he hasn’t competed for a long time.”

The uncle still thinks it can work out well:

“If you are lucky enough to have a reasonable draw in the first rounds, then anything can happen. I have said many times. Nadal in the second week [of a Grand Slam] is a favourite.”