Rafael Nadal has provided the biggest update yet that he'll be back in tennis action soon.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion hasn't competed since exiting the Australian Open earlier this year where he suffered a hip injury.

That hip injury ultimately cost him the rest of the 2023 season as he would not only announce he would miss the French Open as he required surgery — he also made the bombshell announcement that the 2024 season was more than likely to be his last.

However, there is a chance he could return in 2023. With the Davis Cup Finals set to conclude in November, the timing would work for Nadal — who was expected to recover from his surgery during that time — to return to action for Spain.

That is especially the case after the Spaniard took to Instagram to post an image of himself swimming with a simple yet effective caption:

“Working 🏊‍♂️ ✔️”

While that's an extremely promising update, it still looks like the main goal is to return at the start of the 2024 season just in time for the Australian Open.

The signs look promising for Nadal to be competing in Australia as well, especially after his uncle Toni recently provided an update about his recovery process.

“Rafa is good, recovering,” Toni Nadal said. “If all goes well he wants to return to the court for the 2024 Australian Open.”

It's certainly better to be safe than to rush things, especially if 2024 does end up being Nadal's final season on the ATP Tour.

“I hope to give myself the opportunity to enjoy next year, that’s probably going to be my last year in the professional tour,“ Nadal said when announcing his withdrawal from the French Open. “That’s my idea, even [though] I can’t say that 100%.”