Tennis icon Rafael Nadal didn't look like he had gone almost a year without playing when he beat Dominic Thiem 7-5, 6-1 at the Brisbane International on Tuesday in Australia.
The 37-year-old Nadal had not played in an elite singles match since suffering a hip injury at the Australian Open last January, but his mobility did not appear to be limited. He lost only six points on his serve and won eight of the last nine games of the match.
“The first set was even, we both served well and more or less won on serve,” Nadal said. “At 6:5 I was able to take a break, that made the difference. Honestly, I know Dominic has also been through tough times with injuries, so I'm happy to see him on the pitch and wish him all the best for the season.”
Nadal noted that it was the longest period of his career in which he did not take part in a professional tournament. It was his first win since beating Jack Draper in his opening round match at the Australian Open last year.
“Today is honestly an emotional and important day for me, after one of the toughest years of my tennis career, without a doubt,” Nadal said. “I had the chance to come back after a year and play in front of a great crowd and, I think, play at a very positive level.
“On the first day it is something that makes us proud. Myself, the entire team and the family who have been there every day for the past year.”
It was Nadal's 1,069th Tour victory and overtook Ivan Lendl for fourth place in the all-time men's rankings behind Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
The Spaniard, ranked 672nd and playing as a wild card in the tournament, will next face home wild card Jason Kubler. The 30-year-old Australian was tied with Aslan Karatsev 6-4, 6-7(4) on Tuesday when the No. 8 seed withdrew with a knee injury.
Nadal shows an outstanding performance in the individual return
Even for a 22-time Grand Slam winner, the bar was extremely low for Nadal in his opening game.
There are many people on Nadal's team, starting with his coaches and trainers, who were happy that he was able to finish a game clearly after everything he's been through.
This was hardly guaranteed in the final eight months of the 2022 season and the first few weeks of last year. One injury triggered another. A broken rib. The chronic pain in his foot returns. A tear in the abdomen. Knee problems. Then the hip disaster in the second round of the Australian Open, which looked like the end of his career for a long time.
Just a few weeks ago, Nadal looked into the camera and said he had no idea what would happen when he returned to the court.
“I expect from myself not to expect anything. That’s the truth,” he said. “I think I am in a different moment, in a different situation and in uncharted territory.”
And then so much seemed familiar on Tuesday night in Brisbane, especially considering his opponent was Thiem, the 2020 US Open champion who once seemed poised to join Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the top of the sport . Thiem is a shadow of his former self, but Nadal once again showed his whipping, sweeping forehands, his trademark strategic attacks up the court to score points and the relentless desire to chase balls that so many others give up.
Given Nadal's history, it won't take much to inspire hope among the Spaniard's countless fans that the Nadal of yesteryear is just around the corner. Maybe he is. Maybe it will happen again in 2022 when Nadal came back from his season-ending injuries and won the title.
That's probably asking too much. A two-set win in the inaugural season and opening round against a faded former champion is one thing. Five sets against the Djokovics, Carlos Alcarazes and Jannik Sinners of the world is something completely different.
More days that end upright. More games and tournaments during the likely farewell season. That should be considered victory enough.
“The first thing, and I repeat, is to stay healthy,” Nadal said in a post-match press conference. “If I can stay healthy, I can train at the level I need to practice. If I'm able to play games with the feeling that I'm ready to play the game, then the chances of being competitive in not too long a time are much higher.”
Nadal continued: “If you go on court after tomorrow and have problems, then the process is much more difficult.” — Matthew Futterman, senior tennis writer
Required reading
(Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)