Rafael Nadal was reluctant to declare himself over his recent foot injury, despite his powerful performance in the Australian Open first round.
Nadal was forced to end his 2021 season early in August after battling a long-standing foot injury.
The 20-time major winner says the problem had been really bothering him since flaring up when tennis was suspended back in 2020.
He won his first tournament this season at the Melbourne Summer Set and was dominant in the Australian Open first round, but he is reluctant to get ahead of himself.
“Well, it’s difficult to think about it now, but, you never know,” Rafael Nadal said when asked on court by Jim Courier where he was in his recovery.
“As I say a lot of times, when could you comeback from injuries that, unfortunately I know about it very well, things are always difficult and you need to go day by day.
“You need to accept the mistakes. You need to forgive yourself when the things are not going the proper way, because that’s the only way.
“You know at the beginning the things are going to be difficult.
“Of course, you will not have the best feelings sometimes on court, but staying positive, playing with the right energy and, of course, being on the tour, practising with the guys and winning matches, for sure, helps and last week had been important for me.
Nadal made a winning return to action this month when he won the Melbourne Summer Set, and he says that the signs from there were definitely positive.
“I won three matches,” he said. “I won a title. It’s always beautiful and I think I am doing better and better.”
Please follow Tennisbuzz on Twitter and Instagram, and you can like us on Facebook by clicking here.
For more exclusive content from Tennisbuzz, including news, features, trivia, promotions and more, please be sure to sign up for our newsletter below or via our home page.
Why not test your tennis knowledge by tackling one of our fiendish quizzes too?