Rafael Nadal has featured in the Australian Open 2024 draw, being the 102nd player to be named in it. Although Nadal did not opt for a wildcard or want to play in the qualifiers, he will still remain unseeded going into the first Grand Slam of the year using the protected ranking. Co-incidentally, the last time Rafael Nadal was unseeded in a Grand Slam was also at the Australian Open, back in 2005.
There has been a lot of talk in tennis circles that the possibility of a top-ranked player taking on Rafael Nadal in the first or the second round is real and perhaps, might make things way too unpredictable and interesting. It could be deja vu or the fact that life is set to come a full circle in tennis for the Spaniard as for the last 19 years, he has always been seeded in every Australian Open and rather, a Grand Slam tournament he has played in. In 2005, the Australian Open was a pivotal tournament in the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s career.
It was the first time Rafael Nadal went past the Round of 32 in a Grand Slam in his career. However, in the Round of 64, he fell short against the home favorite, Lleyton Hewitt in a thrilling 5-set match which could have gone either way uptil the 4th set. Hewitt eventually won the epic clash, 7-5, 3-6, 1-6, 7-6, 6-2 and that win inspired the Australian’s eventual run to the final to a huge extent.
Rafael Nadal had it easy in his first and third round matches, winning in straight sets against similarly lower-ranked players. However, he had a tough time in the second round itself, having to come back from 2 sets down to beat Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny. On the other hand, barring the first round, Lleyton Hewitt beat the likes of James Blake and Juan Chela in four sets each in the second and third rounds. After going past Nadal, the Australian still had to work his way up in the quarterfinals and semifinals against David Nalbandian and Andy Roddick respectively, playing 9 sets in those matches combined.
Ultimately, Lleyton Hewitt finished second best in four sets against Russia’s Marat Safin, who had beaten the favorite and defending champion, Roger Federer in the semifinals. In what is a huge irony, Hewitt never won a Grand Slam in Melbourne. While four years after that loss, Nadal won his first major there and also added another one in 2022.
But playing Lleyton Hewitt was a huge experience for Rafael Nadal, as five months after that, he won the French Open title, which was the first of his career. Hewitt was no pushover even then, having won the US Open in 2001, endearing himself to fans in New York City and the United States as a whole. On his way to winning that Grand Slam, the Australian beat 3 Americans, i.e. James Blake in the Round of 64, Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals and serial winner, Pete Sampras in the final.
Hewitt also won the Wimbledon 2002 men’s singles title, which added a lot too to his eventual prize money tally of nearly $20.9 million. He ended up with 30 ATP titles in total. And even then, the Lleyton Hewitt net worth is estimated to be above $215 million USD as per People With Money magazine.
The former World No.1 has invested wisely in stocks, real estates and has multiple brand endorsements to his name. It is believed that Hewitt owns more than one restaurant in Canberra as franchises of ‘Fat Hewitt Burger’. He also owns the Australian Rules Football Team, i.e. Adelaide Angels and has his own brand of Vodka named Pure WonderHewitt. Hewitt also has huge stakes in a perfume brand, i.e. With Love from Lleyton as well as a fashion line called Lleyton Hewitt Seduction.
Rafael Nadal practises in Kuwait ahead of Australian Open 2024
Rafael Nadal was seen recently training with the likes of upcoming NextGen ATP prodigy, Arthur Fils and working on his fitness and competitive gameplay under the watchful eyes of coach, Carlos Moya. Nadal is currently at the Rafa Academy Academy in Kuwait, in the hope of replicating the hot and humid conditions he is set to encounter in Australia soon.
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The Spaniard will return to action first at the Brisbane International 2024. He has already warned the tennis world and his supporters not to expect much from him as there are no guarantees about how long his comeback will last. But many ex-players and his rivals have lauded Rafael Nadal for making one last comeback to the game at the age of 37 and he is still considered a contender to win some big titles and matches in the 2024 season.
