Exclusive: Tim Henman tempers expectation for Rafael Nadal’s return – ‘Amazing if he won any tournament’

Tim Henman has tempered expectations for the highly anticipated return of Rafael Nadal, saying “it’d be amazing if he won any tournament” let alone added to his Grand Slam bounty.

It was the latest in a long line of injury setbacks for Nadal and had some fearing we had seen the last of the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

However, after a long rehab, the 37-year-old gave his fans the news they were waiting for, announcing his plan to return at the Brisbane International before playing in the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.

As one of the most decorated champions in the history of the sport, it is unlikely he will be content just to make up the numbers, but after such a lengthy spell on the sidelines, can the aging superstar do what Roger Federer did in 2017 and find his way back to the pinnacle of the men’s game?

“Because they are such incredible champions, I think it is possible,” Henman said. “I think it is unlikely. I think also add to the fact that Rafa’s great on hard courts. He’s just at a ridiculously different level on clay courts. So I think the hard courts is probably a little bit of a stepping stone.

“He’s got to get out there, he’s got to get in the tournament environments, he’s got to be competing in longer matches, dealing with adversity and all the different elements that he hasn’t done for a long, long time. And that’s not easy to come back into tournament play like that.

“However, if he can stay injury free and play tournaments at the beginning of the year, to a certain extent, I feel like his comeback really starts once he gets on the clay courts and we will have had an opportunity to see where he’s at, how is his fitness, how is his movement, how is his body, how does he recover after matches?

“I think then when we get to [see him] play, then we can say if there is a chance of Rafa adding to his Grand Slam tally. It’d be amazing if he won any tournament on the tour because it’s not easy to do.

“But again, Rafa’s not there to come back and make quarters and semis in a couple of events. He wants to win the biggest titles. And so, I think the early part of next year will tell us a lot as to whether Rafa is going to be a contender.”

The Australian Open has never provided Nadal with an overly happy hunting ground. His 83% win rate in Melbourne is his joint worst at the Grand Slams with Wimbledon, while he has lifted the title just twice despite making it to six finals.

If you compare that to his record at the French Open, the difference is stark. The Spaniard boasts a staggering 97% success rate at the iconic clay venue and has won the event a mammoth 14 times.

From 115 matches at Roland Garros, Nadal has won 112 times. His only losses have come against Robin Soderling in 2009 and Novak Djokovic in 2015 and 2021. Of the 14 finals he’s played in, he has never been taken to a fifth set. The list goes on.

His record is such that even if he shows no form ahead of the 2024 edition, he remains impossible to write off according to Henman.

“I think when you put Rafa Nadal and Roland Garros in the same sentence, Rafa’s just the favourite,” the Brit added. “If he was playing paddle tennis and you said, ‘Oh, where is it?’ They’d say it’s at Roland Garros and you would say Rafa’s the favourite.

“You could make a case for the Grand Slams with the best of five. He’s so difficult to beat on clay, first and foremost. But then when you’ve got to win three sets, not just two sets, so few people have been able to do it.

“You wonder whether in the Olympics because it’s best of three, then it takes a little bit less out of him, whether that aids his recovery. But look, with his record, and I’m sure the confidence that he gains when he walks through the gates at Roland Garros, he’s going to want to be at the Grand Slam and at the Olympics, and I’d love to see him win one of those or both of those. It would be an incredible story.”