Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni Nadal is looking forward to seeing his nephew come back as he hints at a return to Wimbledon in 2024.

The twenty-two-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal is not playing at Wimbledon this year following surgery. There is a chance that he could miss the rest of the season, and the 37-year-old has also suggested that the 2024 season may be his last.

The two-time Wimbledon champion was forced to withdraw from his semi-final against Nick Kyrgios at last year's SW19 due to injury. Earlier this season, he was unable to defend his title at the Australian Open, losing to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round, and a string of withdrawals saw him exit the top 10 in the ATP world rankings for the first time since 2005.

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Toni Nadal 'excited' for return

Nevertheless, Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni wrote in Spanish newspaper El Pais of his excitement for his nephew's return to tennis, specifically Wimbledon.

"I am enormously excited to see my nephew's recovery and see his return next year to this magnificent to prove [...] that 20 years are nothing", he stated.

The twenty years that Toni is referring to is the time since Nadal's first participation at the grasscourt major in 2003. He writes of how at "just 17 years old", his nephew defied expectations,

"His first meeting was on court No. 7 against the Croatian Mario Ancic. Despite then-tennis guru Nick Bolletieri's prediction that our opponent would prevail easily, Rafael managed to not only win the match in four sets, but also reach a creditable third round. He then beat Englishman Lee Childs before he fell to Thai player Paradorn Srichaphan."

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The start of a tennis legend

Toni then elaborated on how this strong run in his nephew's first Wimbledon helped his career,

"That first experience helped us to return home with the confidence that, indeed, my nephew's play could be adapted to the grass surface.

“‘One day we have to win here’, I told him before leaving the club and flying back to Mallorca. I remember that precise moment and how this phrase became one of the great hopes in Rafael's career."

This great hope would soon become a reality, as Nadal reached five consecutive Wimbledon finals between 2006 and 2011. Whether or not he attempts to get to one more next year remains to be seen.

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This is the first #Wimbledon without Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer since 1998 😳

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