Rafael Nadal returns to court but admits 'high percentage' 2024 will be final season

The broad smile across Rafael Nadal's face said it all. After almost a year on the sidelines with a hip injury, the Spaniard made his return to competitive tennis in a doubles match alongside compatriot Marc Lopez, and although the pair lost in Brisbane, the sight of Nadal back in action was a victory in itself.

A ferocious competitor and one of the sport's great champions, being happy in defeat is not generally part of Nadal's makeup. But these are not ordinary times in the incomparable career of the 22-time Grand Slam winner.

Despite his truckload of trophies, injuries have been ever-present for Nadal, and he admitted the many fitness issues over the years may have finally caught up with him.

“The problem about saying that it’s going to be my last season is I can’t predict what’s going on 100 per cent in the future. That’s why I say probably,” Nadal said during a press conference on Sunday shortly before his doubles match at the Brisbane International.

“It’s obvious it’s a high percentage that this is going to be my last time playing here in Australia. But if I am here next year, don’t tell me, ‘You said (this is) going to be your last season’, because I didn’t say it,” he added with a smile.

Nadal's first true test of his comeback will come on Tuesday when he competes in a singles tournament for the first time since January's second-round defeat at the Australian Open. Adding to the anticipation, the 37-year-old will take on in the first round fellow Grand Slam champion Dominic Thiem, who progressed through qualifying and who also knows plenty about long-term injury having battled back from wrist issues.

Nadal starts the new season ranked No 672 – unfamiliar territory for a player who spent a record 912 weeks, dating