Rafael Nadal’s training for the 2024 tennis season has been heating up in December. At first he was at home in Mallorca, Spain playing at his academy. He then traveled to Kuwait for a weeklong session with Arthur Fils. The 37-year-old Spaniard is now back in Mallorca training with both Richard Gasquet and Jan-Lennard Struff, among others.
“It’s great to be here in Kuwait to train for a few days,” Nadal posted on his social media accounts earlier this month. “Everyone has been so welcoming. Thank you for everything.”
“He very kindly invited me,” Fils said of Nadal prior to arriving in Kuwait. “I’m going to give it my all. I’m going to get the most out of it…. My idol was Roger, but the more we grow up, the more we appreciate watching Rafa play–his fighting spirit, his game.”
Fils was already in the Middle East, having finished runner-up at the NextGen ATP Finals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (lost in the final to Hamad Medjedovic).
The Rafa Nadal Academy Kuwait opened in February of 2020, right before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nadal is preparing to begin the 2024 at the Brisbane International, which will precede his Australian Open appearance. The 22-time Grand Slam champion has not played since the 2023 Australian Open, where he lost to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round. Nadal’s hip was already giving him problems in Melbourne and he never recovered to make a 2023 comeback. He underwent surgery in early June.
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.