"If Rafael Nadal recovers, it doesn't have to affect him mentally" - Alex Corretja on Spaniard's new hip injury that led to Australian Open withdrawal

Rafael Nadal's latest hip injury, which forced the Spaniard to withdraw from the upcoming Australian Open, will not affect him mentally as long as he manages to recover from the setback physically, believes Alex Corretja.

Having made his comeback earlier this month at the Brisbane International, Nadal suffered a micro tear on his hip during his quarterfinal loss to Jordan Thompson, thereby pushing him to the sidelines once again.

Speaking to Eurosport, however, Corretja opined that the injury was expected in a way, seeing as the Mallorcan had been out of action for a long while before this. The 22-time Grand Slam champion, in fact, had spent nearly 12 months without competing, the result of a hip injury he sustained during the 2023 Australian Open.

Alex Corretja took heart from the fact that Nadal himself did not seem too troubled by the development, and hoped the former World No. 1 can return soon for the tournaments he wants to play most in next.

"It's certainly a setback that could happen. After so many months without competing, it is logical that muscularly you may feel some discomfort. The important thing is that it is not in the place where the big injury was made, that would be something to take into account and would perhaps be more worrying."

"I believe at the moment that if Rafa recovers, it doesn't have to affect him mentally. He has realised that his level has grown, that he is back to more or less where he wanted to be and now the only thing we have to hope is that he can recover, play a few more days and return to compete in the tournaments that he wants," Alex Corretja said.

Rafael Nadal is going to feel best at the upcoming clay season, believes Alex Corretja

2024 Brisbane International: Day 6

Alex Corretja also noted that Rafael Nadal will find playing on clay more comfortable, both in terms of physicality and emotional response, considering the previous success he has had on the surface.

"I think for clay it's maybe where his problems would have less impact and where he's going to feel the best. Let's see what happens, but it's clear that for all the people who had created this expectation it's a shame," Alex Corretja said.

Nadal himself had hinted during his Australian Open withdrawal announcement that he was following a similar timeline, stating that his goal was to reach his best level in the next three months.

"I have worked very hard during the year for this comeback and as I always mentioned my goal is to be at my best level in 3 months. Within the sad news for me for not being able to play in front of the amazing Melbourne crowd. This is not very bad news and we all remain positive with the evolution for the season," Nadal said.