Rafael Nadal has mostly abandoned any hope of winning the Australian Open or the Roland Garros upon his return to the sport.

The former World No. 1 has achieved many incredible feats throughout his career. This includes winning 22 Grand Slam titles, which was the men's singles record before Novak Djokovic overtook it earlier this year. 14 of these came from the French Open alone - a Slam that Nadal dominated for years.

The Spaniard also has an awe-inspiring 94 ATP titles to his name and has spent a total of 209 weeks as No. 1 in the ATP Ranking. However, he has not competed since January of this year due to injuries and undergoing surgery.

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Nadal being realistic about comeback

The 37-year-old last competed at the 2023 Australian Open where he was defeated in straight sets by Mackenzie McDonald in the second round.

Nadal later announced that he would be missing the rest of the season but was aiming to return in 2024. Recently, his uncle and former coach Toni Nadal revealed that his nephew was aiming to come back at the Slam in Melbourne.

However, Nadal has stressed that he is trying to be realistic about his goals and regarding what he can achieve straight away. This has led to him admitting that it is unlikely he will win the Australian Open or the French Open next year, although he stressed that nothing is impossible.

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"I want to play again and be competitive. Hope is not to come back and win Australia and Roland Garros. That people don't get confused. At this stage of my life this seems very distant to me. It's not impossible, but a lot of things happen in tennis," he said.

If Nadal challenges for titles again, it is likely to take several months of build-up as he gets back into the rhythm of matches and the ATP Tour in general. Regardless of his results though, his fans will be delighted to see him back.

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Rafael Nadal has brushed aside any expectations of winning a Grand Slam title next year as he looks to make his comeback.

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