“The preparation for Indian Wells has been bad” – Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal will take part this Sunday evening in an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz organized by Netflix.

The match was thrown into doubt when the Spaniard withdrew from the ATP 500 in Doha, having not sufficiently recovered from the injury he suffered in Brisbane, and when his young rival twisted an ankle on the clay of Rio almost immediately.

But to the great relief of all involved financially, the two stars are set to go ahead with the match in Vegas. Still, Nadal makes no secret of the fact that he has no idea where his current level of play is and that his only goal at the moment is to get out of the upcoming Indian Wells Masters 1000 injury free.

“MY PRIORITY IS TO LEAVE INDIAN WELLS INTACT”

“I don’t know how I’m doing,” he told a news conference prior to the match.

“At this point, I have no choice but to be honest – I haven’t played a set since Brisbane. I’ve been through good times and not so good times, but the most important thing is that I’m here. I’m here and that’s good news.”

Nadal, who also confirmed that he has not entirely decided whether 2024 will be the last season of his career, had two goals after the withdrawals at the Australian Open and Doha – Las Vegas and Indian Wells.

“I’m close to succeeding. I don’t know what level I’ll be at in Indian Wells but it’s the least important thing at the moment.

“For me, the most important thing is to spend a few days in Indian Wells to train with professionals. The preparation for Indian Wells was bad, but at the same time it was good for Brisbane…

“Hopefully between this match against Carlos and my debut in Indian Wells, I can play one more practise set. My priority is to leave Indian Wells intact.”

Nadal, who before his return to action in Brisbane had not played for 11 months, knows that replays carry the risk of injury, even more so at the age of 37.

“When you get older and have to stop playing, your body is no longer prepared. If you play regularly, then the body adapts to the intensity.

“If I could have played in Melbourne and Doha, no matter the result, it would have put me on track.”

The Spaniard hopes to start making up for lost time.

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