One photo and the tennis world went into a frenzy at the sight of Rafael Nadal in practice gear, holding a tennis racket and on-site at an ATP tournament.
After staying away from the ATP Tour for precisely a year, Nadal has finally touched down in Brisbane and is expected to have his first hit ahead of his long-awaited comeback. Nadal, a wild card entrant, is the marquee player at the ATP 250 event that will herald a new dawn of men's tennis in 2024.
Like Nadal, the Brisbane International is making a comeback to the tennis calendar for the first time since 2020, and it has attracted 10 Grand Slam champions, including six former World No. 1s, as part of the 2024 edition across both tours.
Nadal has recovered from a career-threatening hip injury he sustained at the 2023 Australian Open, where his title defense ended with a straight-sets defeat to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round. But he has looked in fine fettle in training and will wait to learn his opening draw very soon.
Having played the Australian Open many times and been fortunate enough to win two titles in Melbourne, Nadal is setting foot in Queensland state for just the second time in his life. The first time it happened was in 2017, also a comeback year, and reached the quarterfinals while playing in Brisbane.
The tournament organizers at Brisbane International will pass up the chance to promote the event by bringing Nadal closer to the home fans. The 22-time Grand Slam champion will appear at the Queen Street Mall stage at 10 am local time.
Australian fans will have the chance to see him up close and personal ahead of his first match in a year. Nadal will be in the company of the tournament director Cameron Pearson to answer some questions from present journalists and fans and sign some tennis balls for some lucky fans.
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