RAFAEL NADAL WILL BE A 'REAL UNKNOWN' ON HIS CLAY-COURT

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga believes that Rafael Nadal could be somewhat of an unknown entity when the Spaniard makes his long-anticipated return to tennis for the clay-court swing of the season. Nadal has not played competitively since being beaten in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International by Jordan Thompson, and he has since withdrawn from the Australian Open, Qatar Open and Indian Wells.

o-Wilfried Tsonga believes that Rafael Nadal will be somewhat of an unknown entity when the Spaniard makes his long-awaited return to tennis for the clay-court swing.
Nadal, now ranked world No. 652 after over a year out of action with injury, has hinted that he would like to return to the tour for the clay season, with the 2024 French Open on the horizon.

The real unknown is what Rafa is capable of doing on clay,” Tsonga said to L’Equipe.
“Today, on a hard court, we know that he doesn’t move as well, that he’ll never perform as well as he did before.
“On clay today, there’s a real unknown. He had such a margin over the others. Will he be able to hold his own in a tough match today? That’s the real unknown.”
Nadal has won 63 titles on clay, and Tsonga, who reached the last four of the French Open, his home Grand Slam, on two occasions, insisted that the Spaniard had nothing to prove.

He’s got nothing left to prove. That’s over. He just wants to reassure himself, to say ‘okay, that’s it, I can go’,” the Frenchman said.
“He’s looking for validation so that he can leave. In truth, he’s been a shadow of his former self for quite a few months now.
“I think he just wants to prove it to himself, to say to himself now, ‘I’m safe to leave, I’m at peace’.”