PARIS: Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal, absent from the courts for almost a year with a hip injury, announced Friday that he would return to competition in Brisbane next month ahead of the Australian Open.
“Hello everyone, after a year away from competition, it’s time to come back. It will be in Brisbane the first week of January. I’ll see you there,” the 22-time Grand Slam winner said in a post on social media.
Former world number one Nadal has not played since his defeat in the second round of the Australian Open last January, a tournament he won in 2009 and 2022.
“I think I don’t deserve to end like this,” said Nadal, referring to his Melbourne exit last year.
The 37-year-old has undergone surgery twice since and having slumped to 663rd in the world after a year without playing declared in September that the 2024 season was going to be his last.
Nadal will try to return to the highest level in Australia with the aim of competiting at the French Open which he has won a record 14 times.
He has been overtaken in the number of Grand Slam tournaments won by Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic, who now has 24 major titles.
The Spaniard had already experienced a 2021 season undermined by a foot injury, and was eliminated by Djokovic in the semifinal of the French Open.
Nadal confirms Brisbane return ahead of Australian Open
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Nadal confirms Brisbane return ahead of Australian Open
- “Hello everyone, after a year away from competition, it’s time to come back,” the 22-time Grand Slam winner said
- “I think I don’t deserve to end like this”
Alexandra Eala delights fans with day 3 win at Abu Dhabi Open
- The Filipina star joins Sara Bejlek, Janice Tjen, Dayana Yastremska, Jelena Ostapenko and others in the last 16
ABU DHABI: Crowds flocked to Zayed Sports City’s Stadium Court on Monday night as rising Filipina star Alexandra Eala delivered a popular win at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.
Day 3 action served some upsets, as Spanish former world No. 2 Paula Badosa was eliminated by Aliaksandra Sasnovich in a three-set thriller, while qualifier Sara Bejlek defeated last year’s finalist Ashlyn Krueger in straight sets. One of the finest matches of the day was between Maya Joint of Australia and Indonesian Janice Tjen, with the latter triumphing 7-6, 3-6, 6-3.
Tjen said after the victory: “This is my first time in Abu Dhabi and it’s been so nice. It means so much to me, the support I received today from the fans. The Indonesian fans were chanting ‘let’s go’ in my language which was amazing.”
In the evening, Jelena Ostapenko came from a set down to beat Oksana Selekhmeteva. The Latvian said after her impressive comeback: “I gave it my all on the court and am so happy with the win. The UAE is one of my favorite countries to play in and the atmosphere was amazing.”
The final match of the day was played in front of a capacity crowd, Eala delighting the audience with her straight-set victory over Turkiye’s Zeynep Sonmez.
The 20-year-old said of her win: “Recently I’ve been playing in front of so many big crowds and I’m starting to find my groove a bit. I really appreciate all the fans coming to watch me with their families, especially on weekdays.”
After the match, she attended a meet-and-greet with Alfonso Ferdinand Ver, the Philippines ambassador to the UAE.
Tournament director Nigel Gupta said: “It was another wonderful day of tennis in Abu Dhabi. It’s been fantastic to see such strong crowds throughout the event, and especially to see so many schoolchildren enjoying the experience today. The draw produced a mouth-watering match-up between two highly supported players, and while there could only be one winner, congratulations to Eala. We’re really looking forward to what the rest of the week has in store.”
Tuesday’s action includes seven-time WTA Tour title winner Liudmila Samsonova playing Janice Tjen on Stadium Court and an all-American clash between Hailey Baptiste and Emma Navarro, before Eala plays doubles with Tjen against Leylah Fernandez and Kristina Mladenovic on ADCB Court 1.
Off the court, 2,897 students from 41 schools attended the tournament as part of its free-entry initiative for children until Thursday. The tournament ends on Saturday, Feb. 7.
