Tennis legend Mats Wilander believes Rafael Nadal is into his final season on the tour in 2024 given his injuries and all the physical struggles.
The Swede despite not having seen Nadal “playing a competitive match when he is feeling 100%” has a feeling that Nadal will appear at this year’s French Open.
Nadal has featured in just one tournament and three competitive matches since 2023 Australian Open when he sustained the hip injury in the R2 match against American Mackenzie McDonald.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion underwent arthroscopic procedure on his left hip in June last year but couldn’t recover completely as the problem recurred upon his return to the tour in Brisbane earlier in January. Consequently, Nadal was forced to withdraw from the 2024 Australian Open and has since pulled out of Doha and Indian Wells.
The 37-year-old is expected to play at the Monte Carlo Masters in April to kick off his clay preparations ahead of Roland Garros and Olympics.
Talking to Eurosport, Wilander expressed hope that the former World No. 1 and 14-time French Open champion will return to the clay-court major, having pulled out of it last year.
“When you see that match in Las Vegas and you see that Rafa is out and he’s been practicing, he’s playing golf and all that, you think, ‘Okay, well he must be healthy’. And then when he pulls out, it’s also clear that, no, he isn’t healthy,” the 7-time Grand Slam champion said.
“There’s no chance that if Rafa goes to Indian Wells early just like he did to Australia, when he went to Brisbane – and he was looking really good in a couple of matches, and then he has to pull out – it’s not like he’s scared, he’s injured.
“And with this problem, ‘I cannot: A) win too many matches, B) I can make it worse. And that’s not why I’m here. That’s not why I’m playing tennis. I would like to get a couple of matches under my belt’.
“The courts in Indian Wells, they are perfect for Rafa, if you’re talking about hard court. So it’s very disappointing. He does show signs of wanting to come back really badly, which is why I do think we’re going to see him in Paris.
“And if we don’t, it’s only going to be because he has a little bit of an injury and he doesn’t want to make it worse. Why? Because he’s still looking ahead to the future.
“Is this the last year for Rafa? Maybe. Most probably. I’m not sure, but certainly we haven’t seen the last of him playing a competitive match when he’s feeling 100%. I think he’s still waiting for that moment.”
The Swede also hinted that Nadal could skip the Italian Open in Rome ahead of the Roland Garros if he registers success in prior events.
“When I think he’ll be ready for Roland Garros is either when he pulls out of the Italian Open, because he’s done well in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid [if he plays], or when he wins a couple of matches at the Italian Open because he’s done well in the previous three weeks on clay,” Wilander added.
“I think that’s always been the case. He’s always done unbelievably well in Rome but that is the clay court tournament out of all of them where he’s actually done the worst.
“And some of it has to do with being a little tired. Some of it has to do with, ‘I have enough confidence – I just can’t push myself to play another two, three matches at this particular moment’.
“They seem to always coincide with the Italian Open in Rome. But I think that tournament, if he doesn’t play, if he played before, then that’s a good sign.
“If he does play, even if he played before, then that’s a good sign. So I think that the answer will come around that time, in my mind.”