Multiple USSR tennis champion Anna Dmitrieva told that the Spaniard Rafael Nadal has a chance to return to a high level after recovering from injury.
On Tuesday, Nadal reached the second round of the ATP 250 tournament in Brisbane, Australia. In the first round, Nadal defeated Austrian Dominic Thiem. The match lasted 1 hour 30 minutes and ended with a score of 7:5, 6:1. Nadal, 37, played his first singles match in almost a year. The Spaniard played his final singles match at the 2023 Australian Open on January 18. Due to injury, Nadal missed almost all of last season. In his first match since his return on December 31, Nadal and compatriot Marc Lopez lost to Australians Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson in the first round of the Brisbane doubles tournament.
— Will the Spaniard be able to return to world leadership?
– You and I can discuss this question as much as we want, but… who are we and who is Nadal! He had breaks and suffered many serious injuries. It seemed like Rafa wouldn’t be able to get back to his previous level, but he was coming back, and maybe even stronger than he was. So if he has decided, that means he still has reason to come back. I wish Nadal as a person to realize himself more than once. I really like him as an athlete.
— Who is your favorite among the Big Three?
— As a brilliant player, of course, Federer . And as individuals – Djokovic and Nadal. Novak doesn’t always get the support he deserves, but he’s a brilliant personality, just like Rafa. The Serbian and the Spaniard are probably superior to everyone in terms of human qualities.
— Do you think the Djokovic-Nadal-Federer troika is turning into a new one?
– That’s what I’m talking about. Eat Alcaraz , Fisherman And Rune . Now I have to join them Ben Shelton , who entered the top 20 in his first professional season at the adult level. Shelton made a fantastic leap and is not inferior to anyone in terms of age, except for Rune,” Dmitrieva told .
Previously, Nadal said that with a high probability, the 2024 season would be the last of his career.
Nadal is a 22-time Grand Slam winner. According to this indicator, among the players on the ATP circuit, he is just behind the Serbian Novak Djokovic (24 years old).
Source : MatchTV
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
