Rafael Nadal will make his return to the ATP Tour at the start of March to play the 2024 Indian Wells Open, and now the exact date of his first match is known.
It will be precisely two months since Nadal's last match, which was in Brisbane - the ATP 250 tournament that marked his comeback from a lengthy injury layoff. Nadal won two matches Down Under but was beaten by Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinal in Queensland.
Despite holding multiple match points, the Spaniard could not see out the match and hurt his hip in the process. Nadal not only lost the match but was set for another spell on the sidelines. Although the injury was not as detrimental as 12 months ago, he was forced to miss the Australian Open.
Last week, Nadal chose to skip the Qatar Open, having initially accepted to play there only to declare himself unfit for participation. Instead, Nadal used that time to play a mid-amateur golf tournament in his native Spain and outlasted over 70 players to win the championship.
Golf is one of the ways that Nadal keeps his fitness in check. He was among the first players to sign up for Indian Wells, which will begin on March 6th. Nada will be among the 96 men who will be part of the main draw in California.
The 37-year-old will use a protected ranking to play at the first Masters tournament of the season, which means he will begin his campaign in the first round. The date has been confirmed as Thursday, March 7th, at 6 p.m. local time.
The three-time champion will avoid a Top 32 seed in his opening match, but should he progress into the second round, then he could potentially face a big name. We might see a collision with either Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, or the new Australian Open Jannik Sinner.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner is among the first to arrive in Indian Wells after booking the same plane as that of his longtime rival Novak Djokovic, and the pair posed for a joint photo that has sent social media into a frenzy.
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