Rafael Nadal back, it’s becoming clearer. The 37-year-old Spaniard, who announced that he would resume his career in Brisbane at the beginning of January after almost a year without playing due to hip problems, has (already) arrived in Australia.
The man with 22 Grand Slam titles landed this Wednesday in Brisbane as proven these videos taken by the tournament organizers and shared on X (formerly Twitter). The Majorcan has even already taken charge of training.
Nadal favorite of bookmakers
The ATP 250 tournament, known for being one of the spearheads of the season before the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open (January 14-28, 2024), begins this Sunday. The one who fell to 670th place in the world will not be protected by a top seed status since he no longer has the ranking for it.
A situation which does not frighten the bookmakers. Nadal is still the big favorite for the tournament ahead of world number 8 Holger Rune or even the last finalist of the Rolex Paris Masters Grigor Dimitrov, whom he could face in the first rounds.
“I know it’s a difficult tournament, but I hope to be ready to play, I don’t aspire to anything else, just to be competitive,” Nadal said when his return was made official. “I think I’m ready to come back, I don’t know at what level, I don’t know what to expect, I have no idea, but I don’t care,” added the Spaniard.
Rafael Nadal is due to make a first public appearance in front of fans this Friday, before his debut at the Queen Street Mall Stage, a concert venue in the city.
