In his return to tennis on the Brisbane Worldwide, Rafael Nadal prevailed within the first spherical of his singles matchup, successful 7-5 6-1 over former world No. 3 Dominic Thiem. Nadal’s victory was a convincing return to competitors after a hip damage sidelined him for nearly all of final yr, in addition to a fantastic begin to what’s anticipated to be the 37-year-old Spaniard’s closing season.
After shedding in doubles whereas partnered with Marc Lopez, Nadal flashed his outdated type in a rematch of the 2018 and 2019 French Open finals, claiming the opening set on a break earlier than pouring it on within the second set, taking a 5-1 lead earlier than closing it out with a serve. The victory was Nadal’s 1,069th, transferring him to fourth on the all-time wins checklist.
“At this time is truthfully an emotional and vital day for me after most likely considered one of the hardest years of my tennis profession,” Nadal mentioned, per Reuters.”I had the prospect to come back again after a yr and play in entrance of an wonderful crowd and play at a really constructive stage on the primary day is one thing that makes us really feel proud — my crew and household who’ve been there day by day within the final yr.”
After shedding within the second spherical of the Australian Open as he was hampered by damage, Nadal had initially anticipated to return to competitors within the latter a part of 2023. That by no means ended up materializing, as Nadal was saved out of motion for the rest of the season after present process hip surgical procedure in June. Following the Brisbane Worldwide, Nadal is predicted to make his Grand Slam return within the 2024 version of the Australian Open.
After withdrawing from the French Open in Might, Nadal had mentioned he expects to retire following the 2024 season, including that his motivation can be “to try to get pleasure from and say goodbye to all of the tournaments which were vital to me.” Nadal’s 22 Grand Slam titles rank second all-time solely to Novak Djokovic, with Roger Federer — one other all-time nice and a recent of each gamers — simply behind in third.
