Rafael Nadal was all smiles as he arrived at the Queensland Tennis Centre on Thursday ahead of his comeback at the Brisbane International. The 22-time Grand Slam champion is preparing to contest his first tournament in almost 12 months after a hip injury curtailed his 2023 season.
The Spaniard arrived in the Australian city and will return to action at the Brisbane International 2024. Nadal will enter the tournament using a protected ranking. This will be only his second appearance at the ATP 250 event.
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Nadal practised on Show Court Two on Thursday afternoon and is scheduled to hit with Holger Rune on Pat Rafter Arena later in evening. However, Main-draw action at the Brisbane International will begin on 31 December. The 22-time Grand Slam champion’s last appearance in Brisbane was in 2017, when he progressed to the quarter-finals.
.he Spaniard booked his place in the quarterfinals with wins over Alexander Dolgopolov and Mischa Zverev before losing to top seed Milos Raonic. That year, he went on to win two Grand Slams at the French Open and US Open.
It has been a recurring theme of a record-breaking career which has brought 22 Grand Slam titles. A painful by-product of his all-action, brutal-hitting style that has led to struggles with serious knee, wrist and foot problems. His most recent setback, at the 2023 Australian Open, resulted in two rounds of hip surgery and fears that he would never grace the courts again.
After the Brisbane International, Nadal is scheduled to compete at the Australian Open by using a protected ranking. The Spaniard has won 77 out of 93 matches so far at the Melbourne Major, winning two titles. The first of these came in 2009 when he beat his rival Roger Federer in a thrilling final. After this season’s Melbourne Major, it’s yet to be seen what Rafael Nadal’s next tournament will be. He was recently confirmed as a participant at the Barcelona Open.
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