Ahead of Australian Open, Nadal announces Brisbane return
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Paris: Rafael Nadal, the legendary Spanish tennis player who has been out for nearly a year due to a hip ailment, declared on Friday that he will compete again in Brisbane next month, coinciding with 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, AFP reported.
Nadal, the former world number one, hasn't competed since losing at the Australian Open's second round in January of last year. He won the championship in both 2009 and 2022.
“I think I don’t deserve to end like this,” said Nadal, referring to his Melbourne exit last year.
Nadal intends to compete at the French Open, which he has won a record 14 times, by trying to return to the top level in Australia.
Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic, who currently has 24 major trophies, has surpassed him in the number of Grand Slam events he has won.
In the French Open semifinal, Djokovic defeated the Spaniard, whose 2021 season had already been marred by a foot injury.