Tiger Wood has always been a fan of Rafael Nadal and doesn’t want to see him vanish from the tennis scene as the 37-year-old prepares for his farewell tour in 2024.
Minus the four matches at the start of the year, Nadal missed 2023 campaign after injuring his hip flexor in the R2 loss against American McKenzie McDonald at the Australian Open. After several failed comeback bids, the Spaniard opted to undergo surgery which prompted some to speculate about the abrupt end of his illustrious career.
However, his long road to recovery has not disappointed him and now it is clear that he will make a comeback at the start of 2024 season with the latest reports confirming that the 22-time Grand Slam champion will be available for the Australian Open.
Nadal’s prolonged absence from the ATP tour is not new and he has earned a repute of being the master of comebacks however, earlier in the June he had confirmed that 2024 could most likely be his last season. The tour Golf legend Woods and many a fans as well as critics of the former World No. 1 have seen him displaying miracles upon return but this time the challenge to bounce back is tougher than ever.
The legendary American has opened up about the Mallorcan’s extraordinary achievements while lamenting the fact that all athletes eventually have to call quits including Nadal’s greatest rival Roger Federer who get aged out in 2022 because of the bad knees.
“Well, I think what Rafa, what he’s done is extraordinary,” the 15-time major winner said at the Hero Challenge. “I mean, he won the Australian Open on a broken foot. The guy is beyond tough and beyond competitive.
“He knows that Father Time is here. Every athlete faces it. Although in some sports it happens faster than others, and unfortunately, just like every sport, you get aged out.
“I don’t want to see him go. I never wanted to see Fed [Roger Federer] go, but that’s what happened.
“We should all enjoy watching him compete and watching him play and what he’s meant to the game, what he’s meant to all of us, just to see the passion of how he plays and why he plays.”
Despite his comeback tournament has not been confirmed yet, if everything goes according to the plan, it is certain that fans will see their idol competing on the courts in the near future.
The 14-time Roland Garros champion has recently issued a positive update about his return to the matchcourts.
“Until now, I didn’t know if I would ever play tennis again and now I think so. What has changed from a few weeks ago to now is that now I know that I am going to play tennis again,” he said.