Rafael Nadal returned from his year-long injury absence with a bang by winning an engrossing first-round battle with Dominic Thiem at the Brisbane International.
The 22-time grand slam champion had not played since damaging his hip during a second-round match at the 2023 Australian Open.
But, with this year’s Melbourne major on the horizon, he gave a timely reminder of his talents with a box-office performance en route to an impressive 7-5 6-1 success in an hour and 29 minutes.
He's back.@RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/zl9W8YVxK6 — ATP Tour (@atptour) January 2, 2024 “Today is honestly an emotional and important day for me after probably one of the toughest years of my tennis career without a doubt,” Nadal said on court following the victory. “To have the chance to come back after a year and play in front of an amazing crowd and play at a very positive level is something that probably makes us feel proud – myself, all the team, family that have been there every single day during the last year. “I missed being healthy, I missed feeling myself competitive and playing in front of full crowds like this. “Things went well and I’m excited to be back again tomorrow.” Ahead of his long-awaited comeback, Nadal said it was “impossible” for him to contemplate winning tournaments.