Rafael Nadal comeback in Madrid: 'No more time to think about Australia'
Rafael Nadal (ATP No. 4) makes his comeback at the Masters tournament in Madrid. As always, the Spaniard only looks from day to day - especially after his break.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: May 01, 2022, 09:54 pm
Nadal himself is about to make his comeback at the Masters tournament in Madrid after breaking his ribs in Indian Wells.
He was recovered, feeling good, he said. However, the preparation was not entirely complete - understandably: anyone who has ever had a broken rib knows how restrictive and painful it is. He could hardly do anything without great difficulty, not even fall asleep.
On the other hand, it is not an "important" injury. You know it takes a certain amount of time, "that always helps mentally".
Rafael Nadal: 'Accept what happened'
It will be "a difficult week", Nadal is aware . You have to accept that you are far from perfect and fight. The goals: spend time to play. Have patience. Stay humble and see what is happening day by day. And improve every day.
Nadal explained that it is always difficult with such injuries within the season. "Of course it was bad at first. But one of my goals is to accept what happened and play as well as I can." In a way, he was also self-confident, knowing that he had started the season strongly.
After winning the ATP tournament in Melbourne, Nadal also won the Australian Open, followed by the ATP tournament in Acapulco. In Indian Wells he had reached the final despite a broken rib in the semifinals.
Nadal: 'Australia was great but...'
"In our sport there is not much time left to think about Australia," said Nadal, as always, with a clear view. "Australia was undoubtedly great, one of the most emotional moments of my career. But over the last month I've been thinking about my injury."
Tennis is not a sport where you have a lot of time to celebrate after winning if you want to stay competitive.
At the start of the Masters tournament in the Spanish metropolis, Nadal meets the winner of the match between Miomir Kecmanovic and Alexander Bublik.
Nadal has won a total of five times in Madrid, most recently in 2017 in the final against Dominic Thiem.