Rafael Nadal plays down tennis title expectations ahead of Brisbane comeback

BRISBANE – Rafael Nadal said on Dec 29 he was “feeling good”, but played down any chance of winning tournaments in the near future as he returns from a near year-long injury absence.

The 37-year-old has not played since a second-round loss in January at the Australian Open, undergoing two rounds of hip surgery on the long road back.

It raised fears that his career could be over, but he will again grace the courts at the Brisbane International starting on Dec 31 ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

“I am feeling good,” the Spaniard, who has previously indicated this could be his farewell season, said at a promotional event in the city where thousands of fans lined Queen Street Mall to welcome him.

“I can’t complain. I feel much better today than what I expected one month ago, but for me, it’s impossible to think about winning tournaments today.

“What’s possible is to enjoy the comeback to the court. I don’t expect much, honestly. The only thing that I expect is to be able to go on court, to feel myself competitive and to give my best.”

The 22-time Grand Slam champion, who has slipped to world No. 672, spent time at his academy in Kuwait in December in search of temperatures and conditions similar to those he will encounter in Australia.

He practised with world No. 8 Holger Rune at the Queensland Tennis Centre after arriving in Australia on Dec 28. But his level of training has been limited and he admitted it would be “a tough process in the beginning”.

“It’s not like I’ve been practising with good intensity for the last six months. I just have been practising for the last month in a very good intensity,” he said. “For me, just being here is a victory, and I hope that I will have a chance to enjoy, and the crowd too.”

A two-time Australian Open champion, in 2009 and 2022, Nadal has slipped behind old rival Novak Djokovic in the all-time list of Grand Slam singles titles. The Serb won three in 2023 in his absence to take his tally to a record 24.

Nadal’s rivals, including world No. 1 Djokovic, believe he will still be at his competitive best and it remains to be seen how he will fare in Brisbane before the Jan 14-28 Australian Open.

Djokovic, meanwhile, hopes to continue enjoying success in Australia, where he has claimed 10 of his 24 Slams, but the 36-year-old said he would take it “season by season” at this stage of his career.

He has won the Australian Open on four of his last five visits, barring the 2022 tournament, which he missed after being deported due to not being vaccinated against Covid-19.

He received a warm welcome earlier in 2023 before his run to a record-extending triumph, and will be the firm favourite to win another title at Melbourne Park.

“I hope it’s not the last, to be honest. I mean I always look forward coming back to Australia,” Djokovic said in Perth.

“Coming back to Australia, I always felt like I played my best tennis over the years (here) and had great support.

“So I’m not sure, I don’t really have a plan (for) what’s going to happen next year. I’m taking it season by season to see how far it takes me.”

Djokovic,

who previously said he hopes to play well into his 40s,

begins his Australian Open preparations representing Serbia at the United Cup mixed team event in Perth.

Players will have extra motivation this season in Melbourne. The Australian Open prize fund has been raised by 13 per cent to A$86.5 million (S$77.9 million), with the greatest percentage increases going to those playing in earlier rounds and qualifiers.

The rise means the prize pot at the Grand Slam has more than doubled over the last decade but the cash is now far more evenly distributed.

Women’s world No. 8 Karolina Muchova will not get a chance to earn that money. She said on Dec 28 she has withdrawn from the tournament with a niggling wrist injury that also ruled her out of the WTA Finals in October. AFP, REUTERS