Can Rafael Nadal recover in time for the Australian Open?

Rafael Nadal is set to resume training in the first week of December. He hopes to be healthy enough to make a run at the upcoming Australian Open.

Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal is getting ready to resume training this off-season as he eyes action at the first Grand Slam of the 2019 ATP World Tour. The veteran Nadal has struggled with ongoing ankle and knee issues as of late. While he maintained the top ranking in men’s singles for much of 2018, he is yet to prove whether or not he will be healthy enough to compete at a high level to start the upcoming season.

Nadal began to withdraw from tournaments in the second half of the year and ultimately pulled out of the ATP Finals in London. Now, he hopes to bounce back.

According to Toni Nadal, the tennis legend is planning to come into play at Melbourne Park in peak condition. That means beginning training and making sure he is fit for action as early as the first week of December. Last year at the Australian Open, Roger Federer took home the men’s singles title. He defeated Marin Cilic in the finals.

Rafael Nadal has a packed off-season worth of recovery, training, and preparation for 2019. His health is his biggest concern right now.

On the women’s singles side, Caroline Wozniacki will enter Melbourne Park as the defending champion The Danish tennis star earned her first career Grand Slam singles win last year at the major tournament. Take a look back at the title-runs for Federer and Wozniacki.

Despite Nadal winning the 2018 French Open and maintaining the world number one ranking for much of the year, his health has been brought into question yet again. As Nadal continues to struggle with injury, so does another former world number one in Andy Murray. Both players are entering the later years of their careers. The immediate future will give us some insight into how competitive they will be on the ATP World Tour.

If Rafael Nadal does not bounce back to his old self in the early months of 2019, we have to wonder if the era of the Big Four in men’s singles tennis is coming to an end. Currently, Novak Djokovic will be the top player to beat heading into early 2019 play. He’s followed by the likes of rising German tennis star Alexander Zverev, defending Australian Open Federer, and others such as Dominic Thiem and John Isner.