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Rafael Nadal carefully prepared for what could potentially be his last season as a professional athlete this year. Despite his injury at the Australian Open in 2023, he made sure to take his time to fully recover and return in time for the start of the new year.
However, shortly after the season began, the athlete who has won 22 grand slam titles experienced another physical setback. In early January, Nadal was forced to withdraw from the Brisbane tournament due to a hip injury. He also had to sit out the Australian Open and has not participated in any competitions for the past two months.
Nadal will make his comeback at Indian Wells this week, which marks the first ATP/WTA 1000 tournament of the year. He aims to regain his momentum and peak performance leading up to the clay court season, but the ongoing question remains: will he be able to maintain his fitness and consistently compete at the top level once more?
Nadal has faced numerous injuries during his career and has discussed the mental toll they have taken on him. He has spent considerable time in rehabilitation and this has greatly impacted his daily life. Despite being 37 years old, he continues to show passion and determination for his career, but there is a limit to how many more obstacles he can overcome.
The good news for Nadal is that there are less concerns about his performance. Despite only playing three matches in January, he showed strong abilities. His forehand remained powerful, he moved with sufficient agility, and he compensated for his declining athleticism by utilizing his wide range of shots. During his closely contested loss in the quarter-finals to Jordan Thompson in Brisbane, he appeared to struggle mentally and physically after a long break.
Nadal will face Raonic in the first round at Indian Wells, in what will be a highly anticipated match. They last faced each other in a Masters 1000 final in Toronto 11 years ago. Nadal currently holds an 8-2 lead in their head-to-head record. The winner will move onto round two to face the 7th seed, Holger Rune. Despite their different styles of play, Nadal and Raonic share a similar experience, as Raonic took two years off from 2021 to 2023 due to multiple injuries.
Despite only having a 7-6 record since his return, Raonic maintains one of the best serves in history and continues to be a strong competitor. He even managed to win a set against the in-form Alex de Minaur at the Australian Open and put up a tough fight against Jannik Sinner during his Rotterdam title run last month. However, his recent matches have been cut short due to injuries. Unfortunately, Raonic’s body does not seem equipped to handle the demands of tennis at the moment and his professional career appears to be winding down. Despite this, he will be determined to prolong his career as he faces off against Nadal on Thursday night.
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Additionally, Andy Murray is making a comeback to the competition following his recent statement that his career may be coming to an end and he is unlikely to continue playing after this summer. In the first round, Murray will be facing a qualifier, and the winner will potentially face Andrey Rublev, the fifth seed, in the second round. Rublev has caused controversy in his previous match in Dubai where he yelled in the face of a line umpire, leading to his default. However, his points and prize money have now been reinstated. Despite this, Rublev has yet to issue an apology to the line umpire, who had actually made the correct call.
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Emma Raducanu will participate in another game against a qualifier, and the winner will face Dayana Yastremska, who was a semi-finalist at the Australian Open. Katie Boulter, who had a spectacular performance at the San Diego tournament, will face Camila Giorgi in the first round. Iga Swiatek is the top seed and a potential third-round opponent for Boulter. Jack Draper’s first opponent will be Christopher O’Connell, and the winner will face Alexander Zverev. In the meantime, Dan Evans will compete against Roman Safiullin in the first round.
At the age of 43, Venus Williams will be participating in her first tournament of the year, where she will play against a qualifying opponent in the initial round. The top-ranked players, such as Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner, Cameron Norrie, Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff, will all have a bye in the first round and begin competing on either Friday or Saturday.
