Defiant Rafael Nadal 'has French Open dream' ahead of 2024 return

Rafael Nadal is preparing to return to the tennis tour next year and his Uncle Toni shared one of the things his nephew wants to experience again. The 37-year-old has missed almost a year of action due to a hip injury sustained at January’s Australian Open - which he had surgery to repair in June.

For the last few months, the 22-time Grand Slam champion has been hard at work at his self-titled Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca preparing for his comeback. Following his announcement confirming his return to the tour in January, fans are excited to see Nadal back and the player's former coach and Uncle Toni believes there is one thing he misses in particular.

“He has the confidence that if his body is doing well, he thinks he will have the opportunity to do great things at Roland Garros,” Toni said via RMC Sport. “His dream is to hear his name pronounced again at Roland Garros. This is the most important. He's not going to go on the court just to be there, he thinks he'll be competitive.

“This is why he has to play a lot of tournaments, from the start of the year in Australia. He wants to have another chance. Winning will be very difficult, but not impossible. A person like Rafa must & will believe in himself.” 

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Chair umpires announcing Nadal’s name before his matches at Roland Garros involve them calling each of his 14 wins at the Parisian Grand Slam. It has become very special to tennis fans and in turn, it is near and dear to the former World No. 1’s heart.

The French Open is certainly one of the most significant dates on Nadal’s schedule as he prepares to return to the tour in 2024. The Brisbane International in January will mark Nadal's first tournament back, with the endeavor to compete at the following event the Australian Open, the tournament where he played his last match. 

While the upcoming season could be Nadal’s last, it may also be his most challenging. The 22-time Grand Slam champion fell to No. 663 in the rankings in his time away from the game. As a result, he will not be seeded in any tournaments at the start of his comeback and can face the game’s top players much earlier than he is accustomed to. 

Nadal, who last won a Grand Slam at Melbourne Park in 2022, further elaborated on his comeback Monday on social media. In the video, the two-time Olympic gold medallist gave fans an insight into his current mindset a month before his long-awaited return. “I have been afraid to announce things because in the end it’s [been] a year without competing and it’s a hip operation,” Nadal said in Spanish.

“But what worries me most is not the hip, it’s everything else. I think I’m ready and I trust and hope that things go well and that it gives me the opportunity to enjoy myself on the court.” He added: “I hope, first of all, to feel again those nerves, that illusion, those fears, those doubts. I expect from myself not to expect anything. This is the truth. To have the ability not to demand myself what I have demanded myself throughout my career. I believe I’m in a different moment, in a different situation, and in an unexplored terrain."