"He is training well and following the schedule for the end of the season" - Rafael Nadal's doctor assures fans that Spaniard is 'very happy' with fatherhood, looking forward to end of the season

The speculation surrounding Rafael Nadal's plans for the rest of the 2022 season has been laid to rest, to an extent, by his doctor, Dr. Angel Ruiz-Cotorro. The Spaniard is in a positive state of mind, is training hard, and aims to compete before the end of the professional season, according to Cotorro.

Nadal has been mum about his schedule for the rest of the season, as his priority has been his personal situation back home with his wife giving birth. He has only confirmed his participation in an exhibition event in South America in late November, where Casper Ruud will join him.

Now that his son is born and all is well personally, the 22-time Grand Slam champion is "very happy" and set to compete sooner rather than later, revealed Cotorro. The Spanish doctor spoke about the same during a recent interview with El Comercio.

"Rafa is fine, very happy with his fatherhood," Cotorro stated. "Once that situation is fulfilled, which logically takes you out of the day to day, he is training well and following the schedule for the end of the season."

While Nadal's exact schedule has not been confirmed, he is expected to make his comeback at the Paris Masters at the end of the month before playing in the ATP Finals early next month. He has never won either of those tournaments.

Cotorro further expressed his thoughts on the Spanish great's career, stating that the 'secret' to his success is simply his willingness to keep working hard and not losing his passion for the sport.

"I think the secret is hard work, passion for the sport, trying to improve every day, and having outstanding physical tennis qualities. He is a historic player for our sport and there he continues to give us joy," Cotorro said.

"Everyone wants to be like Rafa Nadal or Alcaraz and that is really very difficult" - Dr. Angel Ruiz-Cotorro

Mutua Madrid Open - Day Nine

Angel Ruiz-Cotorro, who is also the head of medical services for the Spanish Tennis Federation, further opened up about the pressure tennis players face these days, which is not just personal but also the pressure of expectations from the outside world. Cotorro said that many youngsters in Spain want to emulate the success of Rafael Nadal and current world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, which is very difficult to achieve.

"Obviously there is pressure and there is the issue of parents, who often do not know how to understand what sport is and we believe that in this way we help and it turns out not. Afterwards, everyone has references and wants to be like Rafa Nadal or Alcaraz and that is really very difficult," Cotorro explained in his interview with El Comercio.

Alcaraz and Nadal currently hold the top two spots in the rankings, which is the first ever instance of Spanish players doing so since the ATP Rankings came into existence. Reigning US Open champion Alcaraz has also already qualified for the ATP Finals.