One of the major highlights of the year-end has been the comeback of Rafael Nadal. After being away from the tennis court for almost a year, the Spaniard announced that he would be making his return and gearing himself up for the upcoming Brisbane International. Ever since then, major tennis players, including the likes of Andy Murray and Holger Rune have come up and discussed his comeback while speaking highly of the Spaniard.

Talking about the same, Nadal, in an interview, took a cheeky dig and revealed his honest approach towards his return to the game. Nadal suggested how he thought he would perform and revealed his real mindset.

Rafael Nadal reveals his approach to preparing for Brisbane International

In a recent interview, Rafael Nadal kept it real when talking about his practice sessions, even though Andy Murray and Holger Rune praised him. While he appreciated their kind words, he also revealed how his colleagues would never say anything mean about him.

“I mean, if you ask my colleagues how I feel, they will not come here and say, Rafa is playing like disaster. It’s obvious, no? I feel what they said have not much value because, of course, you ask me how they’re playing, I will say they’re playing great, too,” said Nadal in the interview.

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He’s feeling good about his practice games, saying he’s competing well against others. But, he remembers he had surgery a year ago, so he’s not setting big expectations for himself. Nadal thinks it’s hard to know how he’ll do in the actual matches because practice isn’t the same as real competition.

He feels ready to play, but he’s not sure what’ll happen. Nadal’s careful about his hopes, taking it step by step without putting too much pressure on himself for the Brisbane tournament. His attitude shows he’s focused on getting better slowly rather than expecting too much too soon.

“I’m happy the way that I am practicing. Of course, I don’t have the expectations that I used to have in the past, especially for the beginning. It’s obvious, no? It’s one year. It’s surgery. It’s not a long period of time practicing in a decent level. For me is a little bit unpredictable how the things going to be, no?” he further continued.

Thus, ahead of the start of the tournament, Rafael Nadal has come up with a realistic answer. While he hopes for an emphatic comeback, it is only time that will reveal how far he makes it.

Also read: ‘Didn’t Pretend Like Some People’- After Rafael Nadal’s ‘Frustrated’ Jibe, Novak Djokovic Seemingly Rebuffs Rival With a Passionate Boast

While his return is highly on the cards, joining him will be none other than Naomi Osaka. However, Nadal, in the interview came ahead and talked about the distinctive journey that he and Osaka took to make their return to the tennis courts.

Nadal gives his honest opinion on the return of Naomi Osaka while comparing it with his return

In the interview, Nadal came ahead and talked about how he anticipates his return to the court while talking about Naomi Osaka. He suggested that while both the players were making a comeback on the court, he suggested that Osaka, at a point shifted her mindset away from the game. On the other hand, Nadal was firm and believed that he could step on the court.

“I think Naomi, if I’m not wrong, she said that she lost a little bit the love for the game for a while and the passion for the game. Something that never happened to me. So the biggest difference. She gets tired or lost little bit the motivation for this game or for this thing. That never happened to me,” said Nadal in the interview.

Thus, while both the players announced their return to the game, there was a different set of attitudes that both players had. How do you think both players will perform on their return to the court? Do let us know in the comments below!

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