Returning to the courtroom after 349 days, Rafael Nadal, the 22 Grand Slam winner, made a winning start in Brisbane International in the run-up to the Australian Open as he beat the Austrian Dominic Thiem in straight sets. Nadal, who suffered an damage over the past 12 months’s Australian Open was out of the motion for the entire 12 months after getting his left hip operated on in June. Nadal made his return in doubles by partnering countryman Marc Lopez in a doubles loss to Australians Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson in Brisbane earlier than getting his singles marketing campaign underway with a win on Tuesday, January 22.
Nadal beat Thiem 7-5, 6-1 to maneuver to the Round of 16 the place he’ll face the Australian Jason Kubler on Thursday, January 4. It was an emotional comeback for Nadal as he admitted that it was one of many hardest years of his profession however was glad that he might come again and play.
“Today is honestly an emotional and important day for me after probably one of the toughest years of my tennis career,” the 37-year-old mentioned. “I had the chance to come back after a year and play in front of an amazing crowd and play at a very positive level on the first day, [It] is something that makes us feel proud – my team and family who have been there every day in the last year.”
Nadal has indicated that this might be his closing 12 months in an illustrious profession and after the 12 months he had in 2023 being out of the motion, he’s all of the extra motivated to make 2024 rely. Nadal is utilizing the Brisbane International to be prepared for the Australian Open that kicks off on January 14.
