The whole tennis world has been celebrating the return of Rafael Nadal. As the Spaniard stepped back onto the court after a very long while, every member of the tennis community, from rising stars to legends, was cheerful to see him back in action. But what are all these cheers for? Is Rafael Nadal in for a bigger cause?

Tennis legend Jimmy Connors recently opened up about his thoughts on Nadal’s return. Being himself, the 71-year-old not only said encouraging words for the Spaniard but also gave out a wider perspective on his return.

Connors believes that Rafael Nadal’s return would test the abilities of the younger ATP heroes

Rafael Nadal’s return to the tennis court after a year-long hiatus has not only ignited a sense of excitement among fans but among players too. The legendary Jimmy Connors shared his thoughts on how he sees Nadal’s presence as an influence on rising talents such as Sinner, Alcaraz, and Rune.

In a recent podcast, Connors highlighted the two possible events of how Rafa’s return could turn out to be. “They gonna look at him and say, ‘You’ve been gone for a year, go away,’ or he’s gonna look at them and say, ‘You ain’t good enough yet? Are you good enough yet? You know I’m still around. You get a little better before I go,'” said Connors.

As Jimmy Connors dissected the broader analogy behind Rafa’s highly anticipated comeback, his verdict not only encouraged the Spaniard but also posed a challenge to the young guns of the ATP.

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Among such youngsters, Carlos Alcaraz is the one who has always seen Nadal as his idol. In the U-14 stage of the Rafael Nadal Tour, a 13-year-old Alcaraz had mentioned, “I want to be top 10 in the world. I want to be like Rafa Nadal because he trains very hard, sacrifices himself & puts in a lot of effort.” Apart from Connors, French coach Patrick Mouratoglou also feels that Nadal can’t be taken lightly.

Patrick Mouratoglou sees Nadal as dangerous

It wasn’t just Jimmy Connors who had great thoughts about Rafael Nadal’s comeback. Besides him, renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou also opened up about how the Spaniard can keep kicking the game besides being out for a while.

“The fact that he was out for so long makes people feel that probably his body is not great, considering his age and the fact that again he had to stop for so long. But if he feels good physically, he will always be dangerous,” Mouratoglou said, highlighting the strong potential that Rafa still carries.

While Rafael Nadal is currently in a doubtful situation because of a recent injury, the strength of his comeback still remains unpredictable. Will he dominate in the first Slam of the year?

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