Rafael Nadal makes his comeback this week after seven months on the sidelines, Mark Kendall asks if he'll be the force of old or whether injury has now started to catch up with him?
Thursday 7 February 2013 10:42, UK
After seven months out Rafael Nadal makes his comeback this week, but will he be the force of old?
Some seven months on, Rafael Nadal will step back out on court and into competitive singles action on Wednesday, embarking on arguably his biggest challenge to date. While Nadal could very well win this week's VTR Open on the clay in Chile at a canter, the battle to re-establish himself at the summit of the world game now looks a daunting one for a 26-year-old making the fourth major comeback from injury of his career. The last time he stepped out on court, Nadal fell victim to one of the biggest shocks in the sport's history as he was ousted in the second round at Wimbledon by Czech loose cannon Lukas Rosol. The Spaniard has been quick to make clear that his overriding concern this week will be to prove his fitness and has deliberately played down expectations despite headlining at a tournament that boasts only Juan Monaco, Jeremy Chardy and Tommy Robredo as credible challengers. "I have to take it slowly and be humble to know that things won't be as good as they were before my injury," he said. "I need weeks of working on the circuit. I need to be patient. Hopefully I'll show an acceptable level. Results are the least important thing right now." Nadal's presence in Vina del Mar on Chile's Pacific Coast has ensured an event which previously struggled to capture the locals' imaginations has now become the hottest ticket in town. After limbering up with a doubles engagement alongside Monaco on Tuesday, Nadal will return to singles action in low-key style with a second-round clash against little-known Argentine Guido Pella, or a qualifier. It is all very understated stuff for a man with 11 grand slam titles to his name and in truth it will probably be a couple of months at least before we really have an idea of his chances of adding to that haul. But Nadal looks to have been canny with the timing and selection of his reappearance as he should rack up some facile, confidence-boosting victories on his favourite surface over the next few weeks with clay-court tournaments Sao Paolo and Acapulco to follow. The Pearl of Manacor can also draw comfort from his last comeback from knee trouble in 2009 when he would go on to win the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open the following year, regaining the world No 1 ranking in the process.