It cannot be said that Rafael Nadal’s season did not start uphill. First the vicissitudes of the Australian quarantine and then the injury that partially conditioned him during the first slam of the year and finally the uncertainties always associated with the physical problem that could prolong the preparation time for the campaign on sand.
However, time for reviews is very tight and the first dates of the sand season are just around the corner. It must be said that this is not the first time Rafa has been on European sand after having only competed in Melbourne.
However, it is also true that this is an anomalous season so it is difficult to make comparisons. In addition, the age of the twenty-time Grand Slam champion has become a more important and delicate factor than in other years.
But what is the tennis player from Manacor up to? Let’s get in the right order: so far, Nadal has given no indication of cuts or changes in his program that would theoretically lead him to play all tournaments, namely Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and, icing on the cake, Paris.
However, the difficulties of recent weeks could, for example, delay his return. Another factor that could weigh is the results achieved in 2019, which will weigh again from this month due to the thawing of the ranking in the classification of athletes.
If you take participation in Paris for granted, participation in Rome also seems safe, where he won in 2019 and thus defended a thousand points. It must also be said that thanks to a clay court campaign with some slip-ups in 2019 if the results are to be confirmed, Rafa will not protect too many points collected this spring this year.
The option to abandon any of the other tournaments would not risk taking away too many points, but it could also represent a missed opportunity to add new ones to the leaderboard. Rafael Nadal recently shed light on his relationship with Roger Federer during a conversation with Santander, one of his sponsors.
Nadal revealed that he and Federer aren’t the friends who tell each other everything, even though they get along very well.
Rafael Nadal on his uncle Toni
“We are very good companions and over time our relationship has improved,” said Rafael Nadal.
“We’re not close friends; I wouldn’t tell him my knee hurts before I play it. But we can always call each other and talk about anything. I just spoke to him today!
“Nadal was then asked about his coaching team, which has remained largely unchanged throughout his career. The only major change was the departure of former coach and uncle Toni Nadal in 2016, whose position was eventually filled by coach Carlos Moya.
“I’ve had the same team since I was 15,” said Nadal. “Uncle Toni left because he was tired of traveling. I trust you very much.” Photo credit: Sky Sports
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