Rafael Nadal remains coy on comeback mission with ‘wouldn’t even be trying’ verdict

Rafael Nadal is refusing to give anything away ahead of his expected comeback on the clay. The 22-time Major winner returned from a year-long injury layoff in January but has played just one tournament since, facing several setbacks. Explaining how he felt ahead of the clay season, Nadal claimed he “wouldn’t even be trying” if he was particularly optimistic or negative. Nadal is gearing up to compete for the first time in three months after being spotted practicing on clay courts.

The former world No. 1 is on the entry list for the Monte Carlo Masters, beginning on April 7, and the Barcelona Open the following week. The Spaniard had been set to play the recent Indian Wells Masters and travelled to California for the tournament but pulled out 24 hours before his opening match. Now back on his favourite surface, Nadal is still playing coy about his expectations after suffering so many roadblocks in his return.

“The first objective is to try to compete and I go day by day. I will do my best to try to start the clay season, which is my goal,” he said at the recent Rafa Nadal Foundation awards. While Nadal is keen to get back on the match court in Monte Carlo, he admitted that he wouldn’t be sharing his expectations anymore.

The 37-year-old continued: “I am working for that and making an effort with that goal, but from now on what may happen I no longer dare to say anything because lately it has been difficult for me to make predictions, unfortunately. I have not stopped training at any time. “I am trying at all times. I feel good, I simply have not been able to follow the schedule that I would have liked at the moment. I hope things can change, but as you can imagine I cannot say because I don’t even know.”

With Nadal giving little away about his current state, he was asked whether he was feeling positive or negative ahead of his continued comeback. But it seems the Spaniard is indifferent. “It doesn’t matter if I am optimistic or not, I am realistic,” he added. “It has been a year and a half or two since it has been impossible for me to compete, which is why the first goal is to try to compete and I go day by day. If I had to be optimistic or negative, I probably wouldn’t even be trying.”

But the 92-time title winner is still trying to compete even if there is uncertainty about how well he’ll be able to compete. “It’s a long time, I have a very long age and a long career behind me. In the end I try not to be one thing or the other, go day by day, do the work that I have to do to give myself opportunities and we will see how long we can try,” he explained.

It’s not surprising that Nadal is being cautious with his updates, as his injury comeback hasn’t gone as expected. The Spaniard came back in Brisbane at the start of the year and reached the quarter-final, picking up a micro muscle tear in the match. He then pulled out of the Australian Open and withdrew ahead of his planned tournaments in Doha and Indian Wells. He played and lost an exhibition match to Carlos Alcaraz earlier this month.