Rafael Nadal to make ATP Tour return at Brisbane International
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Rafael Nadal has not played a competitive match since bowing out in the 2023 Australian Open when hampered by a hip flexor problem.
PHOTO: AFP
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MADRID – Former world No. 1 Rafael Nadal will make his comeback at the Brisbane International warmup event for the Australian Open in January, the Spanish tennis great confirmed on Dec 1.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has not played a competitive match since bowing out in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open when hampered by a hip flexor problem.
He was initially expected to miss just eight weeks of action but underwent surgery on a hip muscle in June, after which he took his time to gradually recover.
“Hello everyone, after a year away from competition, it’s time to come back. It will be in Brisbane, the first week of January. I’ll see you there,” Nadal, who won the Australian Open in 2009 and 2022, said in a video posted on his social media account.
In November, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley also confirmed that the 37-year-old veteran would be participating in 2024’s first Grand Slam.
Nadal has said he expects to retire after the 2024 season, with a series of injuries limiting his appearances on Tour.
He dropped out of the top 100 for the first time in 20 years earlier in the season and has slipped to No. 663 in the world, but is eligible for a protected ranking having been injured and not competing in any event for at least six months.
He has previously expressed a desire to play one more French Open and represent Spain at the 2024 Paris Olympics before calling it quits at the end of his 23rd season on tour.
The Brisbane tournament is returning after a three-year hiatus forced initially by the pandemic and will run from Dec 31 to Jan 7. The Australian Open takes place at Melbourne Park from Jan 14-28.
Nadal’s last Australian Open victory came in 2022 when he beat Russia’s Daniil Medvedev and became the first man in the Open era to come back from two sets down in the final to win.
Joining Nadal in Brisbane in the ATP 250 tournament are Denmark’s Holger Rune, Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, American Ben Shelton and Scotland’s three-time Slam champion Andy Murray.
The women’s WTA 500 event is headlined by world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka and fourth-ranked Elena Rybakina.
Former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka has also confirmed her attendance
REUTERS, AFP
