Rafael Nadal is all set to make his return to tennis at the Brisbane Open starting on 31st December.
Rafael Nadal played his last match at the 2023 Australian Open entering the tournament as the defending champion. He suffered a hip injury in the second round and lost to McKenzie McDonald in straight sets.
He was expected to make his comeback later in the year but due to prevailing injury, he announced before the clay court season that he would miss the Madrid and Rome Masters, as well as the French Open.
It was for the first time in 19 years that the Spaniard missed the French Open which he has won a record 14 times. When he announced his withdrawal, he also stated that 2024 would be the last season of his career. He underwent surgery in June and remained out for the rest of the season.
The Brisbane Open is an ATP 250 tournament which will mark a warmup event to the Australian Open later in January. Rafa has won the Australian Open twice in 2009 and 2022.
My idea and my motivation are to try to enjoy and try to say goodbye to all the tournaments that have been important to me in my tennis career during next year, and just try to enjoy that, being competitive and enjoying being on the court something that today is not possible.
-Rafael Nadal in a press conference in May
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— Olly 🎾🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) December 1, 2023
IT’S CONFIRMED! 🇪🇸🇦🇺
Rafael Nadal will RETURN to the ATP tour at the ATP 250 event in BRISBANE, beginning December 31st! A great warm-up event for the Australian Open! 🔥
After one year, it’ll be a long road back, but he’s put in the work 💪 pic.twitter.com/TgqiilZJjZ
He has posted photos and videos of his practice sessions recently and as he announced his fans are just excited to see him play in Brisbane.
The 22-time Grand Sam winner is currently ranked 662 in the world and will have to enter the tournament using either his injury-protected ranking or a wildcard entry.
Rafa is back to save tennis. #RafaelNadal𓃵
— Betty Scott 𓃵 (@Betty_A_Scott) December 1, 2023
Good to see Rafa return on tour 💪
— Kwaku (@cybercaptive) December 1, 2023
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal secure the entry to Paris Olympics 2024
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal did not meet the requirements for playing at the Davis Cup for Spain in 2023 and 2024.
To be eligible to qualify for the Olympics, a player must be part of his country’s Davis Cup team at least twice in an Olympic cycle. For the Paris Olympics next year, the players should have played in either the 2023 or 2024 Davis Cup.
The ITF(International Tennis Federation) has granted wildcards to Great Britain and Spain which ensures direct entry to the group stage of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals which means that Spain won’t have to play a Davis Cup match before the Olympics.
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal missed the Davis Cup tie of 2023 and would have to write a letter mentioning the reason that prevented their participation. Nadal who missed the February playoff due to an injury has to submit a medical report.
