2023-12-31 12:23:35
Coming back when you have won everything you can win is extremely difficult. In cases due to age, but it is also equivalent to trying to touch the sky that is already known, so if the results are not as expected there may be criticism, a situation that the super champions do not experience often. But the colossal Rafael Nadal, at 37 years old, did not give up due to a series of injuriesand returned this Sunday at the Brisbane International, in Australia. He had spent a year away from the courts, and although the result was not what was expected in the doubles with his friend Marc Lópezserved to gain confidence once more in the physical rigor that, it is known, in Nadal’s tennis constitutes the fundamental pillar of his greatness.
Rafa was seen at a good level, served effectively and showed some of his usual strength, but the solid Australians Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell imposed their relevance, struck when they should have and took the duel by a double 6-4. The public that populated the Pat Rfollowing Arena applauded the Spaniard with the usual respect, and Nadal later said he felt good, confident that little by little he will reach his best level.
Strong from the back of the court, he did not seem to have any problems with his movements following the long break, in which a hip injury at one point even made him consider the possibility of retirement.
The story for the Spaniard will continue next Tuesday, when he returns to singles facing former US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the first round of the same Brisbane International tournament, a more tangible test to measure his physical condition, because the Austrian is not only 7 years younger, but because he was also seen returning to his level following going through two tough rounds to reach the main draw of the tournament.
Former world number 3, Thiem recorded defeats with Nadal in the finals of the French Open (Roland Garros) in 2018 and 2019, and also went through a year of injuries that led him to fall to 352nd place in the ATP rankings. In his case, the drama was a tendon in his left wrist, which caused him to suffer and allowed him to play sparingly. He is currently ranked 98th, but it is enough to mention that in his history of 15 matches with Nadal he was able to beat him on 6 occasions, to make it clear that he is the “top of the range” of world tennis.
AFP/HB
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