I expect from myself not to expect anything – Rafael Nadal on his return to tour

Rafael Nadal has revealed he will lower his expectations as he is all set to make a much-awaited return to tour in 2024 in the ATP 250 event in Brisbane. The Spaniard missed the 2023 season after suffering a hip injury in the second round of the Australian Open.

Ahead of the Roland Garros, Nadal revealed that 2024 will be his final season on the tour. The veteran said that he will look to play without any expectations and he wouldn’t be frustrated at himself if results don’t go his way.

It is going to be a challenging return for Nadal but he feels he is ready to get back to business. Nadal has made many returns from multiple injuries in his glorious career and he will once again look to hit the ground running in Australia.

“I have been afraid to announce things because in the end it’s a year without competing and it’s a hip operation. But what worries me the most is not the hip, it’s everything else,” Nadal said in a video on social media. “I think I’m ready and I trust and hope that things go well and that it gives me the opportunity to enjoy myself on the court.”

“I expect from myself not to expect anything. This is the truth. To have the ability not to demand myself what I have demanded myself throughout my career,” he said. “I believe I’m in a different moment, in a different situation and in an unexplored terrain.

“I have internalized what I have had throughout my life, which is to demand myself the maximum, and right now what I really hope is to be able not to do that, not to demand the maximum, to accept that things are going to be very difficult at the beginning and to give myself the necessary time and forgive myself if things go wrong at the beginning, which is a very big possibility.”

Nadal has been a champion over the years and giving up has never been an option for him since his childhood days. Ergo, the fans can once again expect Nadal to give his 120% on the court.