Patrick Mouratoglou cast doubt over Rafael Nadal's return next season, saying that the tennis legend will only stick around if he believes that he can still win a Grand Slam.

22-time major champion Nadal has been absent for the majority of this season. He last played at the 2023 Australian Open, where he lost to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round.

The Spaniard then withdrew from several tournaments due to injury before announcing that he would miss the rest of the 2023 season to undergo and recover from surgery. However, he has said that he aims to return to the sport at the 2024 Australian Open.

However, well-known coach Patrick Mouratoglou suggested that Nadal will not continue his comeback if he thinks that he cannot win any more Grand Slam titles. The 37-year-old held the record for most major titles won in men's singles until Novak Djokovic overtook him at this year's French Open.

Mouratoglou predicted that Nadal will not be ready to win the Australian Open due to being out of the sport for almost a year.

"Will he be ready to win the Australian Open? Probably he’s going to be short. He wants to see if he’s able to win a Grand Slam still or if he’s far," he said on Instagram, "If he’s far from the feeling that he can win a Grand Slam, he will probably stop."

"I don’t think he’s gonna play just to be No 20 in the world. But if he feels he can still [win], I think he will continue. Again, unless he has an injury that we ignore," he continued.

Mouratoglou's comments are in contrast with what Nadal himself has said in recent weeks. The member of the Big Three has already suggested that 2024 could be his final season before retirement and that his goal is to be competitive, not to win the first majors he plays in upon his return.

"Yes, I want to play again and I’d like to become competitive again, but the goal is not to come back and win the French Open or the Australian Open, don’t get me wrong," he told Movistar.