At 37 years old, after having overcome a severe hip injury (and surgery) and 349 days after his last singles match, Rafael Nadala legend in the world of tennis, officially competed individually in a tournament again, he did so in the first round of the ATP 250 in Brisbane (Australia).
The Spaniard defeated the Austrian Dominic Thiem (98th in the world) 7-5 and 6-1, after a game of 1 hour and 23 minutes. Now, in the round of 16 he will face the Australian Jason Kubler (time undefined at the time of this edition), who beat Aslan Karatsev 6-4, 6-7 (4-7) and retired.
An expected return
The public filled the Pat Rafter Arena, the central stage of the Australian competition, to enjoy the return of the Matador. And, there, on the hard blue surface, the same as the Australian Open, there were moments of emotion with each point obtained by Rafa, who looked in very good condition.
The serve (he achieved 67 percent of the first, with 90 percent of points won with that first serve) and the cross-court backhand, a trademark during his rich career, were probably his best impacts against Thiem, who had surpassed the classification.
January 18, 2023 was a date etched in the memory of tennis fans: that day they had seen Nadal in action for the last time in a singles challenge, losing against the American tennis player Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open. From that moment on, the Mallorcan went through a true nightmare.
Injuries were knocking at his door again. Twenty physical problems in his career and seven since 2021 complicated Rafa Nadal's promising 2023. “I am tired and frustrated for being in the process of recovering from injuries for much of my career. But I have always accepted it. “I cannot say that I am not mentally destroyed because I would be lying,” he said after the 2023 duel.
Everything seemed to indicate that it was a muscle problem in the hip area, but the medical examinations showed another reality: the MRI showed a grade 2 injury in the iliopsoas, a muscle in the abdominal area that connects the spine. vertebral with the legs. “Now it's time for sports rest and anti-inflammatory physiotherapy,” she said on her social networks.
However, no one imagined that this injury was going to erase him from the slopes for the entire year, his body was failing him again and the alarms of a possible retirement were going off, but – in another chapter of resilience – he managed to overcome the injury. “I am not thinking about my retirement. I think you do, because that's what you show me week after week at every press conference. But I will continue to answer the same thing every time you ask me,” he said before the start of the tournament.
The champion of 22 singles grand slams, whose level was an unknown, showed that he still has tennis in his racket against Thiem, former number 3 in the rankings and winner of the United States Open in 2020.
Anyone who has not followed tennis news in the last year would not have said that Nadal had not played again since his defeat in January 2023. After a tied first set, resolved with a break for the Spaniard in the game in which Thiem served to force the tie-break, Nadal raised his level in the second set and, with two breaks, finished the match. The 14-time Roland Garros champion was very solid on his serve, without conceding a single break point.
“The first set was even, with both of us serving well and winning our serves. I made the break at 6-5 and that made the difference. Honestly, I know that Dominic has also had very hard moments due to injuries, so I am happy to see him on the court and I wish him the best for the season,” he said after completing his victory.
Nadal's shot
Nadal's victory also helped him become the fourth player with the most victories on the ATP Tour and reached 1,069, breaking the equality he maintained with the Czech nationalized American Ivan Lendl. Ahead of the Spaniard are Novak Djokovic (1,089), Roger Federer (1,251) and Jimmy Connors (1,274).
On the last day of 2023, Nadal had already had the opportunity to compete in the ATP in Brisbane, but in doubles, to start warming up his body motor. Paired with his compatriot Marc López, assistant coach and former Olympic gold medalist teammate in Rio de Janeiro 2016, they had lost by a double 6-4 against locals Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell. But now the challenge was different and he managed to overcome it. With Federer retired, tennis and its fans smile for having recovered one of its great legends.
A triumphant closing
“It's an exciting day for me after one of the hardest years of my career. “I had the opportunity to overcome it and play in front of an incredible crowd and play, I think, at a very positive level,” Nadal said after beating Thiem.
With the victory in the first round he manages to add 25 points to the world ranking and go, in the live record, from position 672 to 541 (he will climb 131 places).
“I was lucky to receive thousands of messages over the last year and have great people surrounding me every day and that makes a difference, without a doubt. I missed feeling healthy, I missed feeling competitive and playing in front of full stands like these,” said Nadal, who will face Kubler for the first time.
THE NATION
ARGENTINA
GDA
More sports news
#Rafael #Nadal #put #year #ordeal #returned
