Rafael Nadal on his comeback: "If I had less pain, I could give you a date"

Rafael Nadal has stated that ongoing discomfort following injury recovery is the reason why he isn't putting a date on his comeback just yet.

Nadal was last seen in action at the 2023 Australian Open, where he lost in straight sets to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round. A hip injury has kept him sidelined since then.

The Spaniard took the year off to get surgery and deal with the injuries, with next year's Australian Open being widely considered the target of his return. The Melbourne Major's tournament director, Craig Tiley, recently announced that Nadal will be seen in action Down Under in 2024.

"We can reveal exclusively that Rafa will be back. He's been off for most of the year, and in talking to him over the last few days he confirmed he will be back, which we're really excited about," he told Nine's Today.

Nadal, however, has tempered all expectations, stating that while he hopes to return to action by the time the Australian Open comes around, he isn't very sure of it.

"I am training more now than a month ago but I am going day by day. Let's see if I have the possibility of increasing the intensity to return little by little," he said. (via Marca)

"My first idea would be to return to Australia but I can't tell you. I am being able to train a little more, which for me is progress. I am with less pain but I still have discomfort. If I had less pain I could give you a date," he added.

The 37-year-old further stated that while he was on the right path, it was also unknown territory for him as he had never been in this situation in his entire career.

"I am on the right path but I am in unknown territory because it is an injury that I have not had before. Even so, I am still excited. I wish I could know. When am I going to come back but it's not like that. I tried to come back for the gravel season but then it couldn't be," he said.

"The pressure has always been my personal pressure because I have always been a very demanding person with myself," he added.

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Pam Shriver predicts thought time for Rafael Nadal on his comeback

Rafael Nadal is a 22-time Grand Slam champion.

Former doubles World No. 1 Pam Shriver has stated that Rafael Nadal will not have it easy when he makes his comeback to the ATP tour. Downplaying the former World No. 1's chances at Grand Slams, she said he might do well to target shorter format tournaments like the Olympic Games in Paris instead.

"If he wants to really wants to have the ultimate goal which is to add to his tally of Majors I just think it's really hard now with what his body has been through," she said on Inside-In podcast.

"I do think the two out of three whether it's the Olympic games, there's certain things he could maybe try to manage and be respectable but I'm having a hard time seeing how this is going to go down," she added.