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Toni Nadal has claimed that Rafael Nadal will be fit in time to compete at Roland Garros this season.
Nadal hasn’t competed on the ATP tour this year since losing to Mackenzie Macdonald in the second round of the Australian Open in January due to a hip ailment.
An eight-week recovery time is typical for a psoas injury, which is what Nadal’s health issue was determined to be.
Nadal withdrew from Monte Carlo, the Barcelona Open, and the Madrid Open this month to focus on his French Open preparations because his recovery has taken longer than expected.
According to Toni Nadal, his nephew will be prepared for the year’s second Grand Slam.
Toni also hinted that the 14-time French Open champion could turn out at the Italian Open in Rome.
“He would like to be competing now, but there is little left for that to happen,” Nadal told Radio MARCA.
“He is going to play in Paris, although how he trains in the coming weeks and what he can do in Rome will be important to measure his aspirations there.”
Along with Stanislas Wawrinka, Richard Gasquet, and John Isner, Nadal is one of only four players in the ATP top 100 who is 36 or older.
The 62-year-old coach of Felix Auger Aliassime claims that Nadal has no plans to retire anytime soon.
“He is not thinking about retiring, he just wants to recover well and continue competing because he is passionate about this sport,” said Toni Nadal.
“Rafael is recovering, I think he is not long before he can compete again, but in this tournament (the Madrid Open) he could not be here.
“This is one of the tournaments that he is the most excited to play but we will have to wait for another year. Obviously he is not going to arrive at Roland-Garros with good preparation, we do not have to fool ourselves.”
Nadal provided an update on his status as he confirmed that he wouldn’t be in Madrid.
“The injury still hasn’t healed and I can’t work out what I need to to compete,” Nadal said.
“I was training, but now a few days ago we decided to change course a bit, do another treatment and see if things improve to try to get to what comes next.
“I can’t give deadlines because if I knew, I would tell you, but I don’t know. This is how things are now.”
Source:Tennis 365