Rafael Nadal was recently pictured all smiles in training as he works towards full fitness to make a comeback at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion sustained an injury during his quarterfinal tie against Jordan Thompson at the 2024 Brisbane International. Since then, he has withdrawn from the Australian Open, the Qatar Open, and most recently, the Indian Wells Open.

Since his injury in January, Nadal hasn’t played a professional match but managed to participate in an exhibition match at the Netflix Slam, where he was defeated by compatriot Carlos Alcaraz.

On Thursday, the former World No. 1 posted a picture of himself on Instagram from the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca. The photo featured him smiling and rolling an overgrip on his racket while wearing a white sleeveless shirt and a white cap.

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Nadal is preparing to make his comeback for the clay season, with the Monte-Carlo Masters as his main target. He was also included in the tournament’s entry list through a protected ranking of 9th.

The Spaniard missed the majority of the 2023 season due to injury and also underwent surgery.

“It has been difficult for me to make predictions” – Rafael Nadal discusses the uncertainty surrounding his return

Rafael Nadal recently opened up about the uncertainty surrounding his return and his dedicated training regimen.

The 37-year-old recently spoke at the Rafa Nadal Foundation Awards ceremony in Palma where he revealed that he had been working tirelessly to prepare for his comeback at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Nadal, however, hesitated to discuss his return, recognizing the difficulty of making predictions. He said:

“I am working for that and striving for that goal, but I don’t dare to say anything about what might happen because lately it has been difficult for me to make predictions, unfortunately.”

The Spaniard also mentioned that despite not being able to adhere to his preferred schedule, he has continued his training without interruption.

“I’ve not stopped training at any time. I’m trying all the time. I feel fine, I just haven’t managed to follow the schedule I would have liked to. Hopefully things can change, but as you can imagine I can’t say because I don’t know myself,” he added.