Rafa Nadal made his comeback at the Brisbane International on Sunday after being sidelined since January due to a hip injury. Despite losing his doubles match, the 22-time Grand Slam champion showed no obvious signs of the injury that ended his 2023 season prematurely. He is now preparing for the Australian Open, which will take place from Jan. 14-28.
Nadal sustained the hip injury in his second round loss at the Australian Open at the start of 2023 and had to undergo surgery in June. His comeback match at the Brisbane International was played alongside his former doubles partner, Marc Lopez, with whom he won an Olympic gold medal in 2016. Despite their best efforts, the duo lost 6-4 6-4 to Australians Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson at a packed Pat Rafter Arena.
The 37-year-old received a warm welcome from fans, who held up Spanish flags and supportive messages for him. The loudest cheers were reserved for his trademark whipped shots and a powerful crosscourt backhand winner in the opening set.
In his upcoming singles opener on Tuesday against qualifier Dominic Thiem, Nadal is expected to receive a similar reception. He has defeated Thiem in the 2018 and 2019 French Open finals and holds a 9-6 win-loss record against him.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
