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\u201cFirst of all, he needs to finish his rehab\u2026 but by the end of the year, I think he\u2019s going to be fully recovered.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Lopez insists it was not practical to pinpoint a date for his return just yet.<\/p>\n
Nadal has ruled out competing on the tour again in 2023, which makes the Australian Open in January the first feasible opportunity for a return to competitive action. <\/p>\n
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Rafael Nadal\u2019s recovery from hip surgery is going \u2018great so far\u2019, says Feliciano Lopez <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very early to make a realistic plan of where he is going to play,\u201d Lopez added.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe Australia is too early? Maybe he doesn\u2019t want to play in Australia because he wants to focus only on the clay season?<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can never underestimate Rafa because if he\u2019s physically OK, he\u2019s still going to be able to challenge the best players in the world.<\/p>\n
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Lopez has won the Davis Cup alongside Nadal <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s impossible to make a prediction because he\u2019s the one who is able to surprise everyone, even in difficult situations. I hope he recovers 100% and then he will decide if he goes just for the clay, which is probably more reasonable now, or if he goes for the full calendar.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lopez also mooted that the Paris Olympics next summer \u2013 held on the clay of Roland Garros \u2013 is a target for the 14-time French Open champion.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Olympic Games next summer, in Roland Garros, is another hypothetical tournament that he\u2019s willing to play,\u201d Lopez says.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s very difficult to predict at the moment because the most important thing for him is to be fully recovered\u2026 but for all tennis fans around the world, I think they\u2019re going to have another opportunity to see Rafa.<\/p>\n
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Nadal has not played since the Australian Open in January <\/p>\n
\u201cWhere and when? This I don\u2019t know yet, but I\u2019m pretty sure he\u2019s going to be competing next year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking in May about his motivation to return to competitive action one last time, Nadal said: \u201cI don\u2019t think I deserve to end like this. I\u2019ve worked hard enough throughout my career for my end not to be in a press conference.\u201d<\/p>\n
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In his absence, Novak Djokovic has overtaken Nadal in the all-time Grand Slam titles leaderboard with the Serb on 23 \u2013 sealed at Nadal\u2019s fortress at Roland Garros in June \u2013 and is looking to make it 24 this weekend at the US Open.<\/p>\n
Djokovic faces rising American star Ben Shelton in the semi-finals and is on a collision course once again with Carlos Alcaraz in the final, the world No 1 who beat him in the Wimbledon final.<\/p>\n