2023-12-30 22:30:12
Updated30. December 2023, 11:30 p.m.
Tennis: In Australia, Rafael Nadal is ready for his return
After a year away from the courts, the Spaniard is preparing to return to competition this Sunday in Brisbane.
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by Lucien Willem
Rafael Nadal appeared sharp in training.
AFP
“He looks good physically, he’s playing well.” This is what Andy Murray said following training shared with Rafael Nadal in Brisbane, ahead of the first ATP tournament of the season.
Sunday, in doubles with his compatriot Marc Lopez, the Manacor bull will finally return to competition following a year of absence forced by a left hip injury. It was already in Australia, during the first Grand Slam lift of the year, that Nadal had bowed to the American Mackenzie McDonald before disappearing from the courts.
This Saturday, for more than an hour, the two veterans (37 years old for Nadal and 36 for Murray) fought an “intense” duel, if we are to believe the words of the Scot.
Looking at certain videos of this confrontation circulating on social networks, we can see that “Rafa” has visibly lost none of his anger. The two men parted good friends at 6-6 at the end of a training set which should reassure the Spaniard’s fans worried regarding his state of form.
A few hours earlier, it was Holger Rune who had the opportunity to hit the yellow ball with the man with 22 Grand Slam titles. “I thought he played incredibly well,” said the young Dane (20 years old). The intensity he displays is astonishing. I had a pretty intense end of season and pre-season but it was probably the hardest training I’ve done in the last six months.”
The Majorcan, who made the trip to the Antipodes with his family, will also play the singles in Brisbane. Having fallen to 672nd in the ATP rankings, he benefited from an invitation to the Queensland tournament and was rather spared from the draw because he will face a qualifier in the first round.
For this season, which might well be his last, Rafael Nadal should choose his schedule sparingly. His two main objectives should be Roland-Garros, which he has already won fourteen times, and the Olympic tournament which will also take place on Parisian clay a few weeks later.
“To play his best tennis in Paris, he has to start at some point, and he chose Australia. I don’t think his expectations for Melbourne are very high, but even better if he wins a few matches,” Boris Becker said in the Eurosport Germany podcast.
“He will do everything to be 100% at Roland-Garros. That would be the ultimate goal for me, to see if he is still capable of doing something crazy and going for a 15th title at Porte d’Auteuil,” said Alex Corretja.
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