The Spanish Rafael Nadal was grateful for “the vote of confidence” at the Australian Open of tennis that announced a few hours ago that the Balearic player, winner of twenty-two majors, will be part of the team for the first Grand Slam of the season, in Melbourne, next January.
“I appreciate the vote of confidence from the Australian Open. “I am practicing every day and working hard to return as soon as possible,” said Rafael Nadal on social networks in response to the words of Craig Tiley, director of the oceanic tournament who announced this Wednesday the return of the Spanish tennis player.
Tiley indicated that the double Australian Open champion will be part of the event that will begin in Melbourne on January 14.
“We can exclusively reveal that Rafa will return. She’s been away (from the court) most of the year and, speaking to him the last few days, she confirmed that she will be returning (to the Australian Open), which we are very excited about. “It’s incredible,” she declared on the “Today” program on Australian television Channel 9.
The director stressed that Nadal, who previously announced that the following season may be his last season in tennis, “will show up to win,” just as he did in 2009 and 2022.
The next Australian Open will begin on a Sunday, January 14, and will last for fifteen days, one more than in previous editions, to spare players the burden of matches and excessive schedules. A change that the tournament itself considers “historic.”
Nadal, 37, played his last official match on January 18, when he lost in the second round of the Australian Open 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 against the American Mackenzie McDonald.
A week ago, Nadal could be seen training on a tennis court at his academy in Manacor (Mallorca) after the hip operation he underwent at the beginning of June, in a video that he broadcast through his account. on the social network Instagram.
In this you can see Nadal returning forehand and backhand balls from the back of the court as part of a training session thinking about his return to competition.
Keep reading:
– Rafael Nadal already glimpses his future after tennis and appears to be a candidate for the presidency of Real Madrid
– “The numbers are the numbers”: Rafael Nadal recognizes that the titles make Novak Djokovic the best tennis player in history
– Rafa Nadal bathed in tears at the retirement of his friend Roger Federer: they played an emotional doubles match at the Laver Cup
2023-10-12 22:15:00
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