By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, July 27, 2022
Rafael Nadal is right on schedule for a US Open return.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion is amping up preparation for the US Open, which starts on August 29th, resuming training.
More: When Osaka First Met Nadal
The Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca posted this video of the king of clay hitting on the Academy's hard courts.
Nadal looks fit and is hitting with vigor in the video.
Twenty days ago, Nadal withdrew from Wimbledon prior to his scheduled semifinal vs. Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal tear he suffered in his five-set win over Taylor Fritz.
In his Wimbledon press conference, Nadal said it would take three to four weeks for him to return to training.
"It going to be around between three, four weeks, normal thing for these kind of injuries. So I hope these three, four weeks will allow me to do my normal calendar. That's the calendar that I have on mind.
"I can't keep playing, not now, but in one week I going to be able to play from the baseline. Not serving for a while, of course. Playing from the baseline not going to be a big deal. In some way that's a positive thing, that I going to keep being able to practice from the baseline. That helps to try to make the calendar that I want to do."
That calendar could include an appearance at the National Bank Open Masters in Montreal starting August 7th.
Nadal is on the entry list for Montreal and is aiming to play.
A five-time Canadian Masters champion, Nadal can match Ivan Lendl's record by winning a sixth Masters crown in Canada next month.
What does the 36-year-old Spanish superstar's competitive future look like?
Following the US Open, Nadal has signed on for a historic Big 4 reunion joining Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray on Team Europe for Laver Cup in September.
In an interview with the Rafa Nadal Academy YouTube channel, Toni Nadal, Rafa's uncle and original coach, believes he can win more major championships, but also longs to spend more time at home.
"In the future of his career, I hope he will win another Roland Garros and another Wimbledon," Toni Nadal says at about the 11:50 mark of the video above. "But at the end, in the future, I think he wants to spend more time involved in his Academy."
Photo credit: Getty