Rafael Nadal may not have made a winning return to tennis after being sidelined for nearly 12 months with a hip injury, going down in men’s doubles alongside Marc Lopez last Sunday, but in the category in which he won 22 Grand Slams and 70 other ATP titles, the Spaniard reigned supreme on Tuesday. Facing familiar rival Dominic Thiem in his Brisbane International opener, the wildcard entrant emerged victoriously at the end of an hour and 30 minutes of high-intensity tennis at the Pat Rafter Arena, winning 7-5, 6-1 to progress to the pre-quarters.
It was Nadal’s first competitive singles match in 349 days, having last played in the Australian Open 2023 where he had injured his left hip flexor during a shock second-round loss, before undergoing surgery later in June.
Nadal will next face eighth seed Aslan Karatsev or home wild card Jason Kubler in the round of 16 in Brisbane, where he is competing for the first time since 2017.
More to follow…
