Former tennis pro Mikhail Youzhny is the latest personality to weigh in on Rafael Nadal's return from a year-long injury layoff.
The prolonged hiatus saw Nadal miss three Grand Slam tournaments in 2023: the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, as well as the year-ending ATP Finals. However, the Spaniard has recovered and arrived in Australia to compete in the Brisbane International, which runs from December 31 to January 1.
The 37-year-old has been given a wild card and will be joined by players such as Holger Rune, Grigor Dimitrov, Ben Shelton and Ugo Humbert. He also practiced with Rune before kicking off his 2024 campaign in Down Under.
While the tennis community is divided on whether the 22-time Grand Slam champion will find old glory in his comeback, Mikhail Youzhny believes it is too early to speculate. He claimed that Nadal could retire after the 2024 Australian Open or win the French Open one more time; anything is possible.
"Who could have imagined Rafa winning the Australian Open and Roland-Garros in 2022? Nobody knows how it will turn out, Rafa himself doesn’t. Maybe he stops after the Australian Open, but it's plausible he wins Roland-Garros one more time. That’s why it’s fascinating to follow," Youzhny told Tennis Majors.
"With Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic, it was easier to play mentally; With Roger Federer, it got harder" - Mikhail Youzhny

Mikhail Youzhny, who had played against the 'Big 3' in the past, shared his thoughts on what it was like to take on them in the court.
The Russian claimed that it was "easier" for him to beat Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic because he had previously done so. However, according to him, it was "harder" against Roger Federer since he used to put pressure on himself before each match with the Swiss.
"With Rafa and Novak, it was easier to play mentally, because I’ve beaten them in the past. With Roger, it got harder with every match. I started to put more pressure on myself because I really wanted to beat him badly," he said (via Tennis Majors).
"Even before the start, it wasn’t a normal match for me, so that emotion lowered my chance to win. From his side, he didn’t want to lose to a guy he beat a ton of times before," he added.
While Nadal and Djokovic are still active, Federer retired from the sport in 2022, with his final professional match being a doubles clash at the Laver Cup where he teamed up with his arch-rival Nadal.
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