"Even knowing this will be the hardest one yet, I have great faith in Rafael Nadal" - Spaniard's uncle Toni "excited" for his comeback

Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni has shared his excitement for his nephew's impending comeback to the tour in 2024.

After being sidelined for almost the entire season due to a hip injury sustained at the Australian Open, Nadal recently delighted fans with news of his return. The Spaniard announced his comeback in an emotional video message.

Interspersed between clips of his injury, the former World No. 1 included quotes from a previous press conference where he declared his intention to work hard for a comeback, aiming for a fitting conclusion to his career.

"I don't think I deserve to end like this. I have worked hard so that my end is not here, in a press conference. I am going to work hard to finish my career the right way," he said.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion confirmed his return to professional tennis at the Brisbane International. The ATP 250 event is scheduled to take place from December 31-January 7.

"Hello everyone. After a year away from competition, it's time to come back. It will be in Brisbane the first week of January. I'll see you there," he said.

Toni Nadal enthusiastically shared his nephew's announcement on social media. Despite admitting the challenges of this comeback from injury, he expressed full confidence that the Spaniard would not disappoint on his return.

"Very excited to see @rafaelnadal. compete again. Even knowing this time will be "the hardest one yet", I have great faith in him and believe he won’t disappoint," he captioned his Instagram post (translated from Spanish).

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Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni on Spaniard being unseeded at Australian Open 2024: "It will not be easy to compete again with an added problem"

Rafael Nadal (right)

Rafael Nadal's prolonged absence from the tour led to a significant decline in his ranking, concluding the season as the World No. 663.

In light of that, his uncle Toni recently acknowledged the complexity of his nephew's participation at the 2024 Australian Open, given that he would be unseeded at the Major.

"Rafael Nadal is aware that the situation is complicated. Let's say he manages to reach Australia, it will not be easy to compete again with an added problem. He will not go seeded, and from the first moment, you can get a high-level player." he said.

The Spaniard's uncle detailed the enormity of this setback, pointing out that the 37-year-old typically builds momentum and becomes more formidable as a tournament progresses.

As such, he would be at a disadvantage during his campaign in Australia, facing higher-ranked opponents right from the beginning.

"Rafa, when he plays a Grand Slam, when at the beginning he has an affordable opponent, he starts to gain momentum and is dangerous from the quarterfinals onwards," he added.