Rafael Nadal has excited a large part of the tennis world by confirming his comeback on the ATP Tour at the upcoming Brisbane International 2024 tournament. He was positively mentioned on social media by the likes of Boris Becker, Carlos Moya, Billie Jean King and praised recently by Goran Ivanisevic, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Novak Djokovic. The ATP jumped onto the bandwagon by posting through their social media handle, TennisTV about some of the best moments Nadal has had on Australian soil.
It is largely perceived that Australia is not a happy venue for Rafael Nadal in terms of results. However, Nadal has often made it to multiple finals at the Australian Open and winning the Grand Slam in Melbourne twice in his career. The Spaniard has had points which have won him many fans Down Under.
The ATP decided to play out sensational points Rafael Nadal has won over the years against the likes of USA’s Maxime Cressy, Australian favorite Alex de Minaur, former top-10 player David Goffin and his biggest rival, Novak Djokovic amongst others. Nadal’s last ATP title in Australia besides the Australian Open was also in 2022, which was in the Melbourne Summer Set 1 tournament. But the Spaniard has played in many tournaments in Australia over the years.
The one particular point that stunned tennis fans was the point Rafael Nadal won against Novak Djokovic in the ATP Cup 2020 final match between Spain and Serbia. Although Djokovic again prevailed on Australian soil against Nadal, 6-2, 7-6, but the 22-time Grand Slam champion put up a tough fight in the second set. It went into a tie-breaker largely because of Nadal engaging in a powerful, aggressive baseline rally with Djokovic and eventually he trumped the World No.1 with a punching backhand down the line.
Rafael Nadal to face stiff competition at Brisbane International 2024
While the Brisbane International and the ATP are set to see a rise in viewership with Rafael Nadal coming back to tennis, his path might not be as smooth as expected. Apart from Nadal, the likes of former Brisbane champions, Grigor Dimitrov, Andy Murray and the Dane youngster, Holger Rune are some of the other big names who have confirmed their participation in the tournament. Nadal has had a strong rivalry with Murray over the years and has played Dimitrov several times as well. Rune is in the top 10 of the rankings at the moment, making him a heavy favorite to win the title.
The fact that Rafael Nadal is ranked outside the top 600 of the ATP rankings could mean that in his upcoming tournaments, he could face a high-profile name in the first or second round itself. So perhaps Nadal would not have his expectations sky-high and look to rather enjoy playing professional tennis again, while aiming to hit his stride whenever he can. His performance in the Brisbane International 2024 could determine how far could he go at the Australian Open tournament. For preparations, Nadal is all set to travel to the Middle East in the hope that he could replicate the conditions he would face in the Australian summer to a large extent at his Rafa Nadal Academy branch in Kuwait.
