"Until now I didn't know if I would ever play tennis again and now I think I will" - Rafael Nadal about his comeback

Rafael Nadal's comeback approach has been described as "logical" by Carlos Alcaraz's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, who said that it is wise for the tennis star to not try and keep up with Novak Djokovic upon his return.

22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal has been absent for the majority of the 2023 season due to injury. He withdrew from several tournaments after sustaining a hip injury at the Australian Open, before announcing that he would be undergoing surgery and would therefore not be back until 2024.

While the situation around his return remained uncertain for some time, the 37-year-old recently revealed that he would indeed be able to come back to the sport next season: "Until now I didn't know if I would ever play tennis again and now I think I will. What has changed from a few weeks ago to now is that now I know I'm going to play tennis again," he said.

However, Nadal made it clear that his goalposts had moved since he was at the top of his game and admitted that he does not see himself surpassing longtime rival and World No. 1 Djokovic's record 24 Grand Slam titles: "I am not going to surpass them. I don't think we are in that position. I live a reality very different, I haven't played for a year and for me personal success is maintaining the enthusiasm to do it again," he said.

This realistic mindset has been praised by Ferrero, who echoed Nadal's opinion in a recent interview: "He will surely return wanting to compete because he has a competitive animal inside him. I see it as logical that he does not see himself competing with Djokovic or against the best right now because he has been out of competition for a long time and it is always difficult to get started," he told MARCA.

However, the 43-year-old was hopeful for the future of Nadal's career, and demonstrated that he believed in his compatriot to defy the odds: "But once he is on the track, his mentality of competing at his best will not change. In the Australian Open that he won against Medvedev, it was thought that he had less chances and he won both tournaments.

"Those who are very, very good always come up with something different from the others and I wouldn't be surprised to see them at the highest level again. How long? Whatever it gives him physically, but I don't think he'll be satisfied with winning two games," he continued.