"Your body is not used to it" says Alex Corretja explaining worry about Nadal and his return

ATP
Tuesday, 14 December 2021 at 14:00
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Rafael Nadal is set to return to the courts in a few days at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships and the Spaniard is quite worried about his compatriot.
Rafael Nadal has not played since August when he withdrew from the Citi Open in Washington and since then the Spaniard has been on a slow and steady recovery after undergoing surgery for his foot problem. The recovery went smoothly but not much has been talked about Nadal until recently when videos of him practicing appeared online.
Sources close to Nadal claim he is doing great but Eurosport tennis analyst Alex Corretja is still worried. Speaking about Nadal he said:
"What worries me the most about Rafa's recovery are his movements. His mobility on the court, his intensity, the way he is going to move, the way he will do the supports when he hits the ball. When he moves well and is well supported to hit his backhand and arrives perfectly to play with his parallel forehand and dominate, Rafa is almost impossible to beat."
He continued:
"The problem is how he gets to that ball so he can be well supported and hit well. That extra half-second that he needs today is what worries me the most. The rest, I think it's a matter of time before he picks up some rhythm."
Corretja also touched upon the physical aspect of a long layoff saying:
"He is going to get to the Australian Open and, when you have not competed for so long, these players are so good that they win many matches, but your body is not used to it and you get other pains in the shoulder or back. He has to pick up the rhythm during the tournament. Rafa is already good enough for the first week of the Grand Slam to serve as a preparation. Before, maybe he didn't think so, but his level of tennis and his physique require that during the first week of a Grand Slam, he must find a good rhythm."

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