Nadal’s uncle makes fearful Carlos Alcaraz admission ahead of Rafa’s 2024 return as Novak Djokovic ignored

Having missed the first half of the 2023, with just a handful of appearances, owing to a hip injury, and set to miss the remainder of the season owing to his recovery from the surgery, Rafael Nadal is already eyeing a return in 2024, which he admitted will be his final professional season on tour. The 22-time Grand Slam winner will hence want to sign off in top-class fashion with Paris Olympics being among his priorities. However, Rafa’s uncle made a fearful admission on compatriot, Carlos Alcaraz, who recently scripted the biggest win in his career by beating Novak Djokovic at the 2023 Wimbledon.

Nadal had suffered a hip injury during his shock second-round loss at the Australian Open in January which forced him out of competition since then as he withdraw his chance to defend the French Open crown before missing Wimbledon and opting out of US Open as well.

Tennis world now await with baited breathe to watch the glorious return of Nadal in 2024 and probably win a title or two before bidding goodbye to the sport. However, his uncle, Toni, hilariously opined that a Rafa swansong will only depend on the mercy of Alcaraz, who has often being hailed as the true heir to the Spanish legend.

“Rafa is fine, on vacation, wanting to hit the court in 2024,” Toni was quoted by Marca. “Let’s hope Alcaraz lets us win something then. He is excited to come back and retire on the track.”

Role of Rafa in Alcaraz’s career

Despite having faced each other on court, there is no bad blood between the two Spaniards. In fact, Nadal has been a staunch supporter of the 20-year-old, having publicly hailed the youngster on several occasions on social media. The most recent was right after his Wimbledon win before Alcaraz revealed that Rafa’s message had played a pivotal role in his blockbuster Centre Court win against Djokovic.

“He [Nadal] sent me a message,” explained Alcaraz. “First he sent it to wish me luck for the final and I appreciate it. That someone like him, an idol of my childhood and who continues to be so, sends you strength and luck for the most important moment of your life is something to admire.”

Meanwhile, Alcaraz has also been vocal about wanting to set up a “dream” pair with Nadal at the Paris Olympics which will be staged at Rafa’s favourite venue, Roland Garros, where he lifted 14 of his 22 Grand Slams.

“It would be a dream to live the experience of playing doubles with your idol,” insisted Alcaraz, who expressed a similar view earlier this year when he said: “Let’s see how he’s doing and how he’s going, you know, in this year. Hopefully, he’s going great but for me, it could be a dream to play doubles with him.”