"I don't know how I wake up tomorrow, but I can say now I feel good" - Rafael Nadal elated with winning display in Brisbane International 1R
Rafael Nadal made his return to the ATP Tour after 12 months with a win, beating Dominic Thiem in straight sets to start his 2024 season on a high note.
The Spaniard coasted to a 7-5, 6-1 win over Thiem on Tuesday to record his first win since the first-round of the 2023 Australian Open. Having suffered a hip injury in the following match, Nadal had to opt for surgery and spent all of 2023 recovering on the sideline.
Speaking at his press conference after the win over Thiem, Rafael Nadal proclaimed that he was feeling rather good, even if he doesn't know what tomorrow will bring for him.
"I am happy. I don't know how I wake up tomorrow, but I can say now I feel good. I felt more or less free on court that I can do the things that I need to do, and I don't finish the match with bad feeling at all in terms of physical performance," Rafael Nadal said.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion opined that he had always only been concerned with how his movement will be when he made his return, as he had never forgotten how to play tennis.
Regardless, Nadal was confident that he will get his full movement back with time, stating that it was just a matter of putting hours and hours in matches and on the practice courts.
"For me the main thing is stay healthy. I really think that I don't forget how to play tennis. The only thing that's going to be difficult to make it in a professional match and in a very high level of tennis. Because at the end, you need to recover movement, something that takes time. You need to recover the confidence and the movements, that takes time," Nadal said.
"Because at the end after the surgery, you feel scared sometimes to do a kind of movement. And you need to recover the speed and reading the ball and making the things in automatic way. Something that you need matches to make it happen. You need hours on court, hours on a practice session, but at the same time hours on professional matches," he added.
Rafael Nadal: "My way to approach is just try to enjoy every single day that I have the chance to be on court"
Rafael Nadal further shared his goals for the season, asserting that in the medium run, he just wanted to become competitive once again. The Spaniard downplayed expectations a little, stating that he would still consider it a surprise if he becomes competitive at a high level soon.
In the meantime, he wanted to be content with just playing as many matches as possible and enjoy the chance to be out on the court as often as possible.
"My way to approach is just try to enjoy every single day that I have the chance to be on court. If I am able to play more matches, will be more helpful in terms of recover things that, of course, you need to recover if you want to be competitive," Nadal said.
"For me my goal is still medium term, in a couple of months to try to be, again, competitive. Now, if I am competitive, fantastic, but it's something that I, for me, is going to be a big surprise if I am competitive in a good level. Let's see. Day by day. Today is a positive day. Let's see after tomorrow," he added.
In the second round of the Brisbane International Rafael Nadal will take on local lad Jason Kubler.