Rafael Nadal shares clay-court training photo after Madrid withdrawal

FLASHBACK: The last time Rafael Nadal was on court, he fell in straight set to Mackenzie McDonald in the 2023 Australian Open second round match point

Rafael Nadal fans, rejoice.

After breaking hearts with his withdrawal from the Mutua Madrid Open, the 14-time Roland Garros champion has given his followers a much-needed bit of good news after sharing a practice court photo from Mallorca.

Even better? Nadal is still practicing on clay:

Last week, Nadal was forced to pull out of his home country's ATP Masters 1000 after struggling to recover from a lingering hip injury. While he is still entered in upcoming clay-court events in Rome and Roland Garros, his physical condition has raised question marks ahead of the year's second Grand Slam.

"(This injury) was supposed to keep me out six to eight weeks, but I have been out 14," Nadal said on Thursday. "We have followed all the medical advice, but my recovery has not gone as they said it would, and now we find ourselves in a difficult situation."

Despite the setback, the recovery continues in earnest for Nadal. In a recent interview with RTVE, his uncle and former coach Toni Nadal even hinted that we may see the 36-year-old back on the courts sooner than we think.

“Rafael is recovering, I think he is not long before he can compete again,” said Toni, who is currently coaching Felix Auger-Aliassime. “But in this tournament he could not be here... This is one of the tournaments that he is the most excited to play but we will have to wait for another year.

“Obviously he is not going to arrive at Roland Garros with a good preparation, we do not have to fool ourselves.”

Nadal, currently ranked world No. 14, was last in action during the Australian swing. He went 1-3 at the ATP Cup and Australian Open, falling in straight sets to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round.