"I haven't had time for preparation, and that's the way I have to face it, it's a very tight tournament for me" - Rafael Nadal on Madrid Open
Rafael Nadal spoke to the media on Sunday ahead of his Madrid Open campaign, revealing that things are looking bleak for him in his home event.
Nadal has been away from the tour for a little over a month after sustaining a stress fracture in his ribs at the Indian Wells Masters.
The last time the Mallorcan was kept away from the sport, he returned in style, winning three tournaments, including a record-breaking 21st Major at the Australian Open.
As such, he was asked by the press if there could be similarities between his comeback from earlier this year and the one he will embark on in Madrid.
Nadal explained that his duration on the sidelines was substantially different in both cases.
"Well, I think it's a little bit difference compared to Australia," said the Spaniard. "In Australia I had not been playing for five months, and in that sense, well, first of all, today it's still Sunday, we still have some time left."
Nadal believes his Australian Open triumph was a "miracle" given the immense trouble caused by his foot injury in the months prior to the event. In fact, his injury had even forced him to contemplate hanging up his racket late in 2021.
"Well, it's true in Australia I had not played for some months," Nadal added. "You know, talking about it, it was an injury in the foot and I had not been able to play so much, but, well, I had trained a little bit. Sometimes half an hour, sometimes one hour. But, you know, I had been sometime playing with the ball and being able to train, and of course what happened in Australia it was nearly a miracle."
The 35-year-old then delved deeper into his current situation, revealing how the stress fracture has not allowed him to prepare and get ready game-wise for the Madrid Open.
"Now, as I said, it's a different situation," Nadal said. "The injury that I have had in Madrid, it doesn't allow me to do any preparation the last weeks, and that's what I'm doing now."
"I'm doing a double session of training today, the day before yesterday too, and I'm trying to face these days like a little bit of preseason, face them as a preseason without thinking a lot that, you know, this tournament -- maybe I'm very, very tight for this tournament in terms of preparation, right? I haven't had the time for the preparation, and that's the way I have to face it. It's a very tight tournament for me."
"We have to be humble day after day to see what happens, try to improve day after day" - Rafael Nadal
During the media interaction, Nadal asserted that he would look to the positives from the Madrid Open regardless of the results. He explained that the tournament would not be easy for him, given his rib injury.
"We will have to take the positive things and perhaps I will have good moments playing on court," said the Spaniard. "If I would come from victory, much better, but this is what we have. We have to have some patience. We have to be humble day after day to see what happens, try to improve day after day, always with the goal to talking about next week. Unfortunately I have the injury in the ribs, and that's the fact."
To make matters worse, the Mallorcan revealed that he has not been able to practice any of his shots ahead of his Madrid Open campaign barring his serve.
"No, no, no. I haven't been able to practice any shot," Nadal said. "Perhaps the serve. I started to serve practically here in Madrid, day before I came here maybe. And before that, I haven't been able to practice my serve a single time."
"But, you know, as I said, I wasn't capable of practicing any shot. Serve was maybe the last shot maybe, yeah, but regarding the shots, more or less all the same."