Rafael Nadal will come back stronger after hip surgery, believes Conchita Martinez

Rafael Nadal received a get well soon message from the legendary Conchita Martinez, after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to check his left psoas muscle that has kept him out of competition since January.

Nadal had to retire from the 2023 Australian Open during his second-round match against Mackenzie McDonald. He hasn't returned to the courts since, undergoing another surgery recently which will keep him out of competition at least through the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.

The Spaniard announced undergoing the surgery publicly, with many fans and colleagues showing support.

"Hello everyone. As you know last night I had surgery. Everything went well and the arthroscopy was on the left psoas tendon that has kept me out of competition since January," Nadal wrote on Twitter.

One of the supporters was the former Spanish Davis Cup team captain, Conchita Martinez, who hoped for a quick return of her compatriot.

"Come on you can handle this and more, I'm sure you'll come back stronger and keep giving us joy," Martinez wrote on Twitter.

Conchita Martinez was Rafael Nadal's team captain at the Spain Davis Cup squad from 2015 to 2017, leading them back into the top-tier World Group under her captaincy.

Martínez won the 2021 WTA Coach of the Year award for her work coaching another Spaniard, Garbine Muguruza.

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Rafael Nadal doesn't know when he will return to tennis

Rafael Nadal at the 2022 French Open

Rafael Nadal recently held a press conference to announce that he will miss the 2023 French Open and Wimbledon.

He also talked about when he thinks he will retire from tennis, revealing that 2024 will most likely be the last year of his career.

"Next year will probably be my last year on the pro tour. It's the idea though I can't say 100 percent because you never know what can happen my idea is to try and say goodbye to all the important tournaments for me in my career. Trying to enjoy that by being competitive and enjoying the track. Something that is not possible now," the Mallorcan said.

As for the comeback, he isn't sure when that will be. It is somewhat possible for him to miss the entirety of the rest of 2023.

"I don't know when I'll be back on the training track. I'm going to stop for a while. Maybe two months or one-and-a-half months, maybe four or five. I don't know. I don't like to predict the future so I'm going to follow my feelings and what I think I should do for my body and my own happiness," he admitted.