How time flies that it is now seven years since the date of Rafael Nadal's one and only trip to Queensland state to play the Brisbane International.
After spending nearly a year on the sidelines, Rafael Nadal is ready to retake centre stage. The 37-year-old underwent a delicate operation on his hip after tearing the psoas muscle during a second-round defeat to Mackenzie McDonald at the 2023 Australian Open.
The Spaniard completed an intensive practice session in Kuwait at his eponymous academy, where he defeated French Next Gen star Arthur Fils, whom Nadal personally invited to get him up to speed with the physicality and intensity of the tour.
Having returned to Spain, Nadal has since played practice sets with multiple other ATP players like Jan-Lennard Struff and Emil Ruusuvuori as the new season is fast approaching. The 22-time Grand Slam champion will be on the plane to Australia in about a week.
His first stop will be in Brisbane, which is quite an odd setting for him. Nadal hasn't played this tournament since 2017. On that occasion, he also returned from a long injury layoff after shutting down his 2016 season campaign after losing to Viktor Troicki in Shanghai.
But Nadal's comeback was sensational because he would reach the Brisbane quarterfinals the following season, and a few weeks later, he would battle his longtime rival Roger Federer in a thrilling five-set final at the Australian Open - a match in which he led by a break in the deciding set.
Anything remotely close to that level from seven years ago would be a massive confidence booster for Nadal, who is on the wrong side of his late thirties now. So, the situation is massively different. Back then, the Spaniard would clinch two Grand Slams and finish the year as World No. 1.
Could next month's return mirror what he did in his first-ever visit to Queensland state? It is tough to make any pronouncements at this stage. But this time, Nadal is coming from the longest injury hiatus since he turned pro, which fuels that uncertainty.
Secondly, the new band of challengers has developed rapidly within a short amount of time. We know the desire and grit are still there. Still, if Nadal intends to stay competitive, he is going to cross swords not only with World No.1 Novak Djokovic but also with Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, and a transformed Holger Rune, to name but a few.
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