Rafael Nadal says he is happy to be in with a shot of reclaiming the world No.1 ranking this week in Cincinnati where he will begin his comeback from injury.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t played since Wimbledon where he was forced to pull out of his semi-final match against Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal injury. Nadal originally planned to return to action last week in Montreal but was unable to do so after feeling a ‘slight bother.’
Instead he will kick-off his comeback this week at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati where he will be making his 13th main draw appearance at the event. Despite his recent absence from the Tour, Nadal can return back to the top of the rankings if he wins the title. Something he has only done once before back in 2013. Furthermore, he would also need reigning world No.1 Daniil Medvedev to lose before the quarter-finals.
“It means a lot to me to have that opportunity [to rise to No. 1]. Something that I didn’t expect could happen again. The main thing is to stay healthy and play the events that I want to play,” Nadal told reporters on Sunday. “I will not play more than what I believe works well for my body.
“I am going to put all my efforts into every single event I play. It is something that doesn’t matter if I have the chance to be No. 1, but I am happy to be in this position and if it happens, I will be very happy.”
Nadal has already spent 209 weeks as world No.1 with his longest streak being 56 weeks in a row (2010-2011). In total, he has been at the top of the rankings on eight separate periods and last held the position in February 2020.
Although the main priority of the Spaniard is his health ahead of the final Grand Slam of the season. He admits that he will take him time to find his footing on the Tour again. Granted a bye in the first round, he will start against either Borna Coric or Lorenzo Musetti.
“Of course, I had a small tear in the abdominal so it’s dangerous. The abdominal is the place that is dangerous because in every serve you put a lot of effort there, so I need to take things a little bit easier and do the highs the proper way,” he said.
“That’s what I’m trying to do. Try to be a little more conservative but I hope I can be ready to play.”
During Nadal’s time away, one of the sport’s biggest names announced that they will be ending their career in the near future. Serena Williams said she is ‘evolving away’ from tennis in a personal piece written for Vogue Magazine with many speculating that her final tournament will be the US Open. Williams, who is almost five years older than Nadal, says she wants to focus on family and business commitments.
Reacting to the announcement, Nadal said he will be ‘sad’ when his fellow player says goodbye as he paid tribute to her achievements.
“She is one of the greatest sports [people] of all time,” Nadal said. “I feel lucky to share a tour for a long period of time with her.
“Of course, from a selfish point of view it’s sad that she’s leaving the tour but, on the other hand, we can’t thank her enough for all the things that she did for our sport.
“I think she’s an amazing inspiration for a lot of people around the world and I think she deserves to choose whatever works for her better at this stage off her life. So I wish her all the best.”
Williams is also playing at the Western and Southern Open and will open up her campaign against reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
