"If Rafael Nadal is pain-free and can play, there's no reason he'll not be the favorite for Roland Garros"

Renowned tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou is expecting big things from Rafael Nadal next year if the Spaniard can be pain-free and is able to return to competitive action.

Nadal was last seen in action at the 2023 Australian Open, where he made a second-round exit after losing to Mackenzie McDonald. A hip injury has kept him sidelined since, with the 37-year-old even undergoing surgery and taking a long break from tennis to recuperate and rehabilitate.

The former World No. 1 recently spoke about his potential comeback in 2024, but stated that he is not harboring any hopes of winning the Australian Open, the French Open, or any other Major.

"Yes, I would like to play again and be competitive again, but the dream is not to come back and win Roland Garros or win Australia, so that people don't get confused, right?" he said.

Mouratoglou, who has coached the likes of Serena Williams, Simona Halep, and Holger Rune in recent years, feels that Nadal is keeping expectations low ahead of his potential return to the ATP tour.

"When it comes to Rafa, I understand that he doesn't want to feel that pressure and he wants people to think that he will come next year to say goodbye. But that's not the kind of person he is. He is going to play fully," Mouratoglou opined (via puntodebreak).

Nadal recently disclosed that he isn't completely pain-free after surgery as he continues to suffer from time to time.

But Mouratoglou believes that if the veteran can put his pain behind him and plays next year, he will be the favorite to win the French Open, a tournament where he has won a record 14 titles.

"He will have enough time to train. Historically he is a player who needs to play a lot. The question is: how injury-free will he be in 2024? If he is pain-free and can play next year, there is no reason to think that he will not be the favorite for Roland Garros," Mouratoglou added.

While Nadal remains keen on not looking at title challenges in 2024, he did state that he is open to the idea of playing doubles with Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics.

Patrick Mouratoglou: "If Rafael Nadal feels like he can still win, I think he'll continue"

Patrick Mouratoglou further said that the odds of Rafael Nadal being ready to take the season-opening Australian Open by storm are low.

He went on to add that the Mallorcan will assess himself with each match and might not prolong his professional career just for the sake of playing tennis.

"Will he be ready to win the Australian Open? The odds will be low. He wants to see if he is still capable of winning a Grand Slam or if he is far away. If you're far from feeling like you can win a Grand Slam, you'll probably stop," he said.

"I don't think he's going to play just to be number 20 in the world, but if he feels like he can still win, I think he'll continue. Again, unless he has an injury that we ignore," Mouratoglou added.

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