Pam Shriver has cast doubt on Rafael Nadal's chances of winning another Grand Slam upon his return to the sport in 2024.

22-time major champion Nadal has been absent for most of the 2023 season. He sustained a hip injury at the Australian Open in January, where he was defeated by Mackenzie McDonald in the second round.

After withdrawing from several tournaments, the Spaniard announced in May that he would be undergoing surgery and would therefore miss the rest of the season. However, he has since been seen training and his uncle Toni Nadal recently announced that his nephew is aiming the return at the 2024 edition of the Australian Open.

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Shriver downplays hopes for Nadal to win more Grand Slam titles

However, Nadal has been honest about his expectations in coming back to the sport after a year away due to injury. In a recent interview with Movistar+, the 37-year-old said that he was not getting his hopes up in regards to winning major titles straight away.

"I want to be back on the court and compete but I’m not expecting/hoping to come back and win Roland Garros and Australia. That looks like very far away, even if not impossible," he said.

This sentiment has now been echoed by former World No. 3 Shriver. The American was speaking on a recent episode of the Inside In podcast, where she seemed doubtful about Nadal's chances of achieving the incredible feat again due to his physical condition.

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"If he wants to really wants to have the ultimate goal which is to add to his tally of Majors I just think it's really hard now with what his body has been through.

"I do think the two out of three whether it's the Olympic games, there's certain things he could maybe try to manage and be respectable but I'm having a hard time seeing how this is going to go down," the 61-year-old said.

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