"If Rafael Nadal feels good physically, he will always be dangerous" - Serena Williams' ex-coach on fitness concerns surrounding Spaniard's comeback

Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou has shared his thoughts on the fitness concerns surrounding Rafael Nadal's impending comeback to the tour after nearly a year away.

Nadal has been diligently preparing for his long-awaited return after being sidelined for almost the entire 2023 season. The Spaniard has been away from action since sustaining a hip injury at the Australian Open, for which he underwent surgery.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion is set to make his highly anticipated comeback at the ATP 250 Brisbane International, commencing on Dec. 31. His return has garnered considerable excitement and interest in the tennis community, drawing comments and opinions from players, coaches and journalists alike.

In a recent interview with Eurosport, Patrick Mouratoglou also weighed in on Rafael Nadal's comeback, addressing the concerns about the 37-year-old's fitness upon his return. Nonetheless, Mouratoglou contended that if the Spaniard is in good physical shape, he would be a "dangerous" opponent to face.

"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," he said.

The Frenchman also expressed his anticipation for Nadal to face the younger generation of players, who has developed in leaps and bounds in his absence.

"It's going to be interesting because now the young guys have progressed a lot while he was out of the courts. So I'm really looking forward to seeing those young guys play against him and see how we can do against them with such a long absence also," he added.

---

"Roland Garros will be the most important tournament of Rafael Nadal's season" - Patrick Mouratoglou

Rafael Nadal

In the same interview, Patrick Mouratoglou also highlighted the challenge of making an accurate prediction about Rafael Nadal's 2024 season, due to the significant impact the 22-time Grand Slam champion's fitness would have on his performance.

"The thing that is difficult with him is that we don't know how he feels in his body, only he knows. And this will play a big part in what he will be able to achieve in 2024," he said.

Mouratoglou also offered two possible explanations for the Spaniard's decision to take part in the 2024 Australian Open, with the first being that the 37-year-old's belief that 2024 would be his last year on tour.

"The fact that he wants to play the Australian Open, there are two explanations. The first one is maybe he thinks it's his last year, and he wants to play," he said.

The Frenchman's second explanation is that Nadal feels physically fit enough to compete at the Melbourne Slam. Mouratoglou suggested that otherwise the Spaniard would likely have skipped ahead to the clay season, as the French Open remains his "best chance" to win another Grand Slam.

"The second can be if he feels good, because if he wouldn't feel that good, he would probably go skip it and go straight to clay, probably in South America and get ready for Roland-Garros, which will be for sure the most important tournament of his season, because that's the Grand Slam he has the best chance to win," he added.

Before the claycourt season in 2024, Rafael Nadal will square off against Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster exhibition match. The event, titled the Netflix Slam, takes place on Mar. 3, and will be streamed live from the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.