Roger Federer’s former coach, Ivan Ljubicic, has lifted the lid on Rafael Nadal‘s playing level ahead of his anticipated return next season.
Nadal is primed to rejoin the tour in January, where he has been granted a wild card to play at the Brisbane International in the opening week of the 2024 ATP season. It will mark his first tournament appearance in precisely a year since he left Australia with torn hip muscles.
After undergoing surgery and announcing his intention to play a farewell season in 2024 before bringing the curtain down to his long and storied career, Nadal has been training at a high intensity, even though he has sounded a warning that people shouldn’t expect him to “demand the maximum” from his body anymore.
The 37-year-old trained regularly in Mallorca before flying to the Middle East, where his preseason took shape in Kuwait. Nadal has established his academy there and resumed training since the start of December.
He invited French teenage prodigy Arthur Fils, a runner-up at the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals, to be his sparring partner. The pair played a practice set in front of a small crowd, which the Spaniard reportedly won.
Tennis fans are torn, not knowing what to expect from Nadal next year. Even the Spaniard doesn’t know what to expect from himself, but he will take this comeback journey in small steps before eventually deciding his long-term future in the game.
But Fils has revealed a positive update that should fill Nadal’s fans with optimism after he texted Federer’s ex-coach Ivan Ljubicic. The Croat knows a thing or two about a lengthy comeback from injury, having coached Federer to three Grand Slams following knee surgery in 2016.
“Nadal? Fils texted me that he is playing at a very high level. I still expect great things from Rafa.”
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