Andrey Rublev is excited to see Rafael Nadal returning to competition next month but jokes that he felt "more freedom" while he was away from the tour.
Nadal, 37, is set to make his tennis return at the Brisbane International - an ATP 250 event that acts as a precursor for the year's first major. Nadal has received a wild card to play in Queensland state and will use a Protected Ranking in the 2024 Australian Open.
The Spanish lefty has been out of action for precisely a year. He damaged his hip during a second-round defeat at this year's Australian Open, where his title defense came to a juddering halt while playing Mackenzie McDonald.
Nadal went under the knife in June and resumed training at his academy in Mallorca before setting his preseason camp in the Middle East this month. The Manacor native looked in fine fettle during his stay in Kuwait, where he practiced with French Next Gen star Arthur Fils.
Rublev, who was competing at the UTS Grand Final in London last weekend, believes it's a win for tennis that Nadal will finally make his customary walk on a match court again. The Russian World No. 5 looks forward to seeing him rekindle a longtime rivalry with Novak Djokovic.
"I'm happy for him that finally he's back. But obviously as a competitor, I feel more freedom when he was not there. For tennis, it's great that he's back."
"He will bring back a lot of spectators, a lot of followers, especially, again back for the tie between him and Novak (Djokovic) will bring a lot of attention again to tennis. So, it's amazing that he's back."
Rublev and Nadal have faced each other three times on tour, with the Spaniard leading the head-to-head 2-1. Remarkably, it is the 26-year-old Moscow native who won their last bout on Nadal's beloved clay in Monte Carlo two years ago.
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