Rafael Nadal officially returned to the courts after 349 days and showed a great level when he defeated Dominic Thiem in the first round of the ATP Brisbane. At 37 years old and after two hip operations that prevented him from playing since January 2023 and even questioned his continuity on the circuit, the now number 672 in the ranking experienced spectacular moments and gave Thiem, number 98, no option for the ATP and who came third in the world.
“Emotional and important” is how Rafa defined his return with wins in two sets (7:5 and 6:1). “To be honest, today is an emotional and important day for me, after undoubtedly one of the toughest years of my career,” explained the Spaniard in an interview at the foot of the track. “I had the opportunity to overcome it and play in front of an incredible crowd and, I think, play at a very positive level,” added the winner of 22 Grand Slam tournaments, his second-round opponent the Australians Jason Kubler, who eliminated Aslan Karatsev after the Russian retired with a set tied.
It should be noted that Rafa believed that 2024 would “probably” be his last active year. The Spaniard finished his game in 1 hour and 29 minutes, making it 1,069. victory of his career. This makes him the fourth tennis player in history with the most wins after he finished in a draw with Czech Ivan Lendl. Only the American Jimmy Connors (1,274), the Swiss Roger Federer (1,251) and the Serbian Novak Djokovic (1,089), who is the only one who is still active besides Nadal, are ahead of him.
“What happened on that first day makes me proud. For me, for my team and for my family, who was with me every day last year,” explained the Spanish tennis player enthusiastically.