Rafael Nadal will make a comeback at the Brisbane International in about a month, and he’s aware that things could go very badly.
Nadal hasn’t played in almost a year since his last match came at this year’s Australian Open, which happened in January. The comeback is highly anticipated because we all want to see how Nadal will do when he returns.
He himself has reservations, which he expressed a few times leading up to this comeback. As he explained in a video posted on social media, he wants to return and have fun on the court while helping himself overcome the very high expectations he had for much of his career.
I expect from myself not to expect anything. This is the truth. To have the ability not to demand myself what I have demanded mylsef throughout my career. I believe I’m in a different moment, in a different situation, and in an unexplored terrain.
As somebody who has been described as perfection, it’s going to be tough to come to terms with the fact that he no longer can play as well as he could before. That’s a really tough pill to swallow, but he’ll try his best to tamper with his expectations and simply accept this new reality as best as he can.
I have internalised what I have had throughout my life which is to demand myself the maximum. And right now what I really hope is to be able not to do that, not to demand me the maximum, to accept that things are going to be very difficult at the beginning and to give myself the necessary time and forgive myself if things go wrong at the beginning which is a very big possibility.
Ultimately, he’s not coming back because he doesn’t believe in himself. He does believe that he can still be competitive, and perhaps he’s right. There is really only one way to find out. January 2024, mark your calendars.
But knowing that there may be a not-too-distant future which things can change if I keep the illusion and the spirit of work and the physique responds to me without any doubt.
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