Rafael Nadal's uncle sets injury return date with Spaniard preparing for big farewell

Rafael Nadal’s uncle has given an update on the return of his nephew following a long lay-off with injury. The Spaniard has been absent since the Australian Open in January, when he suffered a serious hip injury that required surgery. Nadal has skipped the last three Grand Slams while his rival Novak Djokovic took his Major tally to 24.

Nadal is planning to retire at the end of next season and he wants a full campaign kicking off in Melbourne. "Rafa is fine, recovering," 62-year-old Toni Nadal revealed. "If everything goes well, he wants to return to the courts for the 2024 Australian Open."

Nadal has claimed victory at the Australian Open twice before, most recently with a surprise 2022 win against Russian Daniil Medvedev. Toni Nadal’s update is the first encouraging sign of Nadal’s return since his injury occurred, although there is reportedly a possibility he plays at the Davis Cup Finals.

In May this year, Nadal announced his probable retirement from professional tennis at the end of 2024, which would mark the end of a 22-year career.

"My goal and my ambition is to try and stop and give myself an opportunity to enjoy the next year and that will probably be my last year in the professional tour," said Nadal. "That is my idea but I can’t say 100% it will be like this, but my idea and my motivation is to try to enjoy and say goodbye to all the tournaments that have been important for me."

Nadal fell two Grand Slam titles behind Djokovic's record on Sunday when the Serbian claimed the US Open title.

Despite this, Nadal is still deemed “one of the greats” in men’s tennis. His 14 French Open wins remain the most ever won by a player in the tournament’s history, with the Spaniard’s most recent Grand Slam title win occurring at the Roland Garros tournament in June 2022.

Nadal was present when Roger Federer retired at the Laver Cup in London last year and the Swiss star hopes his good friend can say farewell on his own terms.

Federer told CNN: "Seeing him going through this more difficult period now, obviously I’ve been there and I just hope that he can go out on his terms [and] he can still play a little bit.

"I still hope we’ll see not just the doubles like I did, but more than that. I still believe that’s going to happen."