Rafael Nadal’s comeback date is mentioned as Carlos Alcaraz’s “dream” is discussed

Moments after withdrawing from the French Open earlier this May, Rafael Nadal made the moving announcement that 2024 would likely be his last year on the circuit. The Spaniard explained some of his intentions and goals at the time. The 37-year-old had set his comeback date for November of this year when Carlos Alcaraz made an incredible offer to the 22-time Grand Slam champion. However, a month later, the player had hip surgery due to an issue that had kept him out of action since his early withdrawal from the Australian Open in January.

David Ferrer, a fellow countryman and former tennis player who is now the captain of Spain’s Davis Cup team, spoke on the subject on Saturday, less than three months before Rafael Nadal’s preferred comeback date, while also making fun of Alcaraz’s offer.

“I don’t see far away,” Ferrer said in a statement to Marca, leaving open the prospect of Nadal’s comeback. The former tennis player from Jávea remarked, “I wish he could be with us. I don’t see it as a utopia.”

Ferrer also acknowledged that, should Spain advance to the Davis Cup Finals, he would love to see Nadal team up with two-time major champion Alcaraz.

“I can’t say much more, but I hope he can be with us in November, now that he has taken a vacation and is doing his things,” he said. “To play alongside Rafa and Carlos on the Davis Cup team is my dream.”

After a thrilling victory over Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, Alcaraz revealed to El Partidazo de Cope that he hopes to play doubles with Nadal at the Olympics, where the tennis competitions will take place at Roland Garros, where the legend has won 14 of his 22 Grand Slams.

Alcaraz had added, “To experience playing doubles with your hero would be a dream. “Let’s see how he is doing and how this year is treating him. It would be a dream come true for me to play doubles with him, so hopefully everything is going well.

Although the two had squared off on the ATP circuit, with the latter winning two of the three sets until the 20-year-old surprised him in the 2022 Madrid Open quarterfinals, Alcaraz has never before paired up with Nadal for any tennis tournament in his career. They get along well, and Alcaraz said last month that a message from Nadal he received just before the Wimbledon final gave him the boost he needed to defeat Djokovic in the nail-biting five-set match.