{"id":41604,"date":"2023-12-30T05:00:07","date_gmt":"2023-12-30T05:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/nadal-feeling-good-but-plays-down-australia-expectations-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2023-12-30T05:00:07","modified_gmt":"2023-12-30T05:00:07","slug":"nadal-feeling-good-but-plays-down-australia-expectations-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/nadal-feeling-good-but-plays-down-australia-expectations-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Nadal ‘feeling good’ but plays down Australia expectations | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nAUSTRALIA:
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rafael Nadal<\/a> said Friday he was “feeling good” but played down any chance of winning tournaments in the near future as he returns from a near year-long injury absence.<\/p>\n

The 37-year-old has not played since a second-round loss at the Australian Open this year, undergoing two rounds of hip surgery on the long road back.<\/p>\n

It raised fears his career could be over, but he will again grace the courts at the Brisbane International starting on Sunday ahead of the Australian Open<\/a> in Melbourne.<\/p>\n

“I am feeling good,” the Spaniard, who has previously indicated it could be his farewell season, said at a promotional event in the city.<\/p>\n

“I can’t complain. I feel much better today than what I expected one month ago, but for me, it’s impossible to think about winning tournaments today.<\/p>\n

“What’s possible is to enjoy the comeback to the court.<\/p>\n

“I don’t expect much, honestly,” he added. “The only thing that I expect is to be able to go on court, to feel myself competitive and to give my best.”<\/p>\n

The 22-time Grand Slam champion spent time at his academy in Kuwait this month in search of temperatures and conditions similar to those he will encounter in Australia.<\/p>\n

But his level of training has been limited and he admitted it would be “a tough process in the beginning”.<\/p>\n

“It’s not like I’ve been practising with good intensity for the last six months. I just have been practising for the last month in a very good intensity,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Nothing is impossible. But for me, just being here is a victory, and I hope that I will have a chance to enjoy, and the crowd too.”<\/p>\n

A two-time Australian Open champion, in 2009 and 2022, Nadal has slipped behind old rival Novak Djokovic in the all-time list of Grand Slam singles titles, as the Serb won three this year in his absence to take his tally to a record 24.<\/p>\n

Nadal said at this stage of his career “I cannot have super long-term goals because I don’t see myself playing for a super long time”.<\/p>\n

“But in my mind, I’m going to try to give myself the opportunity to be more and more competitive as the season keeps going.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n