Rafael Nadal (Spain), who has been unable to play on the court for nearly a year after leaving the team due to a hip injury in early January of this year, expressed his feelings.

Nadal posted a video on his social media on the 4th (Korean time). In the video, Nadal spoke candidly about his current rehabilitation progress and what he felt after staying off the court for a long time.

Nadal's game clock is stopped in January this year. Nadal, who suffered a hip injury after being eliminated in the second round of the Australian Open singles, disappeared from the court afterward. As his recovery time took longer than expected, he was unable to return, and he ended up on the operating table last June.

As Nadal, who is likely to be his last season in active play next year, has not been able to recover from his injury, some are saying that he may be retiring like this.

However, Nadal made his return official by announcing that he would participate in the Brisbane International on the Men's Professional Tennis (ATP) Tour, which will open in Australia on the 31st.

In a video later released on social media, Nadal said, “I want to feel again the feelings of tension, illusion, fear, and doubt that I felt on the court.”

He continued, “In the end, I was unable to play for a year and even had hip surgery, so I was afraid to announce (my return). But now I think I'm ready (to play). “I believe and hope that things will go well in the future and I will have the opportunity to enjoy it on the court,” he added.

Nadal, who has been competing tirelessly for a long time, also revealed that he learned how to let go of himself during his long rehabilitation period.

“I am now standing in a different moment, a different situation, and unknown territory,” he said. “All my life, I have demanded the most from myself. But now I am ready to accept anything that may happen in the future. “I have a mindset that I no longer want what I have been asking for throughout my career,” he said.

If Nadal makes a successful comeback at the Brisbane International, he is expected to qualify for the Australian Open, the first major tournament of the season, to be held in January 2024.

Nadal concluded his message by saying, “If I maintain my current mentality and my body responds well, the best will come in the not-too-distant future.” 슬롯