Five Reasons Why Rafael Nadal Can Shock Everyone And Win 2024 Australian Open
ATP
Rafael Nadal is set to return to Grand Slam competition at the 2024 Australian Open with a Protected Ranking.
The Spanish lefty has been out of action for almost the entire 2023 season due to a damaged hip he sustained during a second-round defeat against Mackenzie McDonald at last season's Australian Open.
Even though Nadal has been on this road before, when he rejoins the tour next month, he will be expected to take a backseat when it comes to contending for the game's biggest tournaments.
But history tells us Nadal is a man not to be written off, and he does his best work when the odds are stacked against him. On that note, here are five reasons why the 22-time Grand Slam champion could still have a role to play at next year's Australian Open and potentially shock the world.
5. The Grand Slam record
At this time last year, Rafael Nadal owned the men's all-time Grand Slam record, having won 22 titles. Up stepped Novak Djokovic, who eclipsed him thanks to a stellar season in which he won three Grand Slams. All that, happened in Nadal's absence from the tour due to injury.
It's no secret that Nadal is starving for another Grand Slam title, and he knows that winning the Australian Open would give him impetus to rechallenge Djokovic at Roland Garros by the time tennis players dust their socks for the second major of the year.
4. A mental giant
Very few athletes have the mental strength to match that of Rafael Nadal. His mental toughness has defined his legacy as one of the most resilient tennis players in history. While he may be past his physical peak, nothing has changed in his mindset, according to his longtime coach and uncle, Toni Nadal.
3. Extra preparation
It is a fairly accurate assessment to claim that Nadal has had the best preparation of the 128 men who will compete at the Australian Open. Most of the the players who will be in the draw have played an entire calendar, and have only had a month or two, at most, of rest time.
By contrast, Nadad had months of recovery from a hip injury and preparation, potentially putting him at a physical advantage over his peers.
2. Can do damage early
Rafael Nadal will enter the 2024 Australian Open with a Protected Ranking of World No. 9, but he won't be afforded a seeding status according to the rules. That means any Top 32 seeds could face the Spaniard from the opening round.
Regardless of how much tennis he has missed in the past 12 months, it's hardly an ideal matchup even for a Top 10 player, with Taylor Frtiz recently calling it "crazy" that someone of Nadal's caliber is a possible first-round draw. That said, Nadal can take matters into his own hands and weaken the field.
1. Will to win
One of Nadal's overriding traits is that his will to win is pure. What makes him a formidable opponent is that he plays every point with the same intensity.
His decision to play at the Australian Open isn't because he wants to bid farewell to the Melbourne public for one last time but because he genuinely believes in his abilities to do well and compete for the title.
