Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports

Ronaldo can’t seem to wait for Rafael Nadal’s comeback!

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Rishab Dutta | Last updated 3/18/24

Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo Nazario recently showed his support for Rafael Nadal through an Instagram story. The 47-year-old posted a video on his story where he flaunted his purple shorts that had the Spaniard’s bull-shaped logo and shoes that also had his branding. Ronaldo wrote “Vamos” on his story, which, translated to English, means “Let’s go”.

Rafael Nadal shared the story and wrote “obrigado”, which means ‘Thank You’ in English. The 22-time Grand Slam champion was supposed to take part in the 2024 Indian Wells but opted out of the tournament a day ahead of his first-round match against Milos Raonic . He missed the majority of his 2023 season owing to a hip injury and finally made his comeback in the 2024 Brisbane International.

Unfortunately, that too was short-lived, as he suffered a muscle issue during his quarterfinal match against Jordan Thompson. He then promised to surely take part in the Indian Wells. However, after his loss in the Netflix Slam, an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz, Nadal came to the conclusion that he needed to practice more and withdrew from the ATP 1000 event.

The Brazilian soccer player is thus seemingly wishing for his speedy comeback to the court. Ronaldo is a legend of the sport. He has played for top European Clubs like Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan, etc. His former club, Real Madrid, also happens to be the favorite soccer club of Rafael Nadal.

When will Rafael Nadal return to the court?

The organizers of the 2024 Monte Carlo Open have announced that Rafael Nadal is scheduled to take part in the tournament. However, considering the pattern that he has followed in the last few months, nothing can be said for sure currently.

Ahead of the Indian Wells, he had felt some discomfort, due to which he decided not to take part in the tournament. However, it was later found to be nothing serious in the tests.

However, Nadal had even earlier said that his primary goal is to take part in the 2024 French Open in the best shape possible. Moreover, he would also focus to take part in the 2024 Paris Olympics once he is done with the French Open.

Roland Garros will be one of my goals. I’d like to play at the Olympics as well. It’s not something I can confirm right now, but I hope I will, I think I will. Nadal in an interview with Spanish broadcaster La Sexta last month

For now, the Spaniard will try to possibly take part in the Monte Carlo Open because he would like to be match fit ahead of the French Open. The Monte Carlo Open commences in the second week of April.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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