Tennis
Rafael Nadal Officially Making a Comeback at 2024 Australian Open
by privatebet.com - 2023/10/11
We haven’t seen Rafael Nadal play a single match since sustaining a serious injury at this year’s Australian Open, but he’s finally ready for a comeback. The Australian Open CEO Craig Tiley confirmed that Nadal is planning to take part in the next edition of this tournament. Next year’s Australian Open will bring many comebacks our way, with Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, and Caroline Wozniacki all returning after maternity breaks. Tiley said they’ll welcome them with open arms in Melbourne – along with the two-time champion Rafael Nadal. "We can reveal exclusively here that Rafa will be back. He's been off for most of the year and in talking to him over the last few days he confirmed he will be back, which we're really excited about, the champion of 2022. That's awesome," said Tiley in a statement. Nadal withdrew from professional tennis after injuring his hip flexor in the second round of the Australian Open this winter. He entered the tournament as a defending champion, but eventually lost to Mackenzie McDonald, and missed the rest of the season following hip surgery, dropping out of the top 100 for the first time in two decades. Even before his Australian Open participation was confirmed, Nadal said he was planning to make a comeback next year and hinted he wants to retire at the end of the 2024 season.