‘Nightmare’ video a boost for Rafa ahead of Melbourne

Watch the great new Nadal fan video here…

He’s back – according to the latest Nightmare video posted by his adoring fans – but Rafa Nadal may have other ideas.

The preview video, tongue in cheek as it may be, was put together ahead of next week’s opening Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne and is well worth a watch – amusing, but cleverly edited as it is.

But Rafa has admitted he is planning his retirement.

“The day that I feel that I don’t have chances to compete for the things that make me happy will probably be the day to do another thing, “ Nadal said yesterday as he prepared for another tilt at Australian Open glory.

“I am here to try and play a very good tournament in Melbourne and I believe if I have this good week of practice and I am able to have a good start in the tournament, why not? I am playing well (enough to win).”

Nadal will be 33 in June, and like Andy Murray, who today tearfully said he may not last much longer on the court, has suffered his fair share of injuries of late.

He’s been dogged with knee, wrist, back and stomach injuries, and ankle surgery in November, so he knows he has two think about life after tennis.

“Life has great things, not only tennis, so it is something that doesn’t scare me, to think about that day and that day is realistic,” he said.

“I have my tennis academy. I have different things around the world that I have to take care of and I will not be the guy who finished a tennis career and am going to stay at home fishing and playing golf every day.”

Nadal still believes he is a contender for 2019, even though injury forced him to withdraw from the Brisbane event with thigh strain.

“I’m happy to be back on court and then happy that I’m healthy again,” he said in Sydney this week.

Nadal will be second seed at the Australian Open.