The day the whole tennis community was waiting for has arrived. 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will make his much-anticipated comeback to tennis after a whole year against a qualifier at the Brisbane International 2024. The Spaniard suffered a hip injury during the last Australian swing that saw him lose to Mackenzie McDonald in the Australia Open 2023.
Having already said that his expectations aren’t that high, Nadal has luck on his side. With the possibility of playing Dominic Thiem or Diego Schwartzman in the first round, the 14-time French Open champ will consider himself lucky to face a qualifier in the comeback match.
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Road to the Brisbane International 2024 title for Rafael Nadal
On his comeback trail, Nadal will either face 8th seed Aslan Karatsev or wildcard Jason Kubler if he gets a win in the first round. However, things from there will get exponentially more difficult. With the possibility of dangerous Ugo Humbert looming large in the quarters.
In the semis, Rafael Nadal could see himself going against an old foe, Andy Murray, or an inspired Grigor Dimitrov. However, the toughest challenge for Nadal will be the final, where he could face talented young guns like Holger Rune, Ben Shelton, Sebastian Korda, or Sebastien Baez.
If Nadal manages to get through and lift the title, it will be a huge boost to his confidence for the Australia Open 2024 and a deadly reminder to players to be vary of the legendary left-hander.
Round 1 – Qualifier
Round 2 – Aslan Karatsev/ Jason Kubler
Quarterfinal – Ugo Humbert/ Jordan Thompson
Semifinal – Grigor Dimitrov/Tomas Etcheverry/ Andy Murray
Final – Holger Rune/Ben Shelton/Sebastian Korda/Sebastien Baez
Editors pick
