Brisbane, Australia | AFP
At the top of world tennis in the first half of 2022, when he chained titles at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal since then lived an ordeal that lasted almost 18 months, until his return in Brisbane, at the beginning of the course. tennis of 2024.
These are some of the main dates in this long process:
. Paris, June 5, 2022
When he lifts the Musketeers Cup for the 14th time, Nadal is at the top of tennis history, as the only player with 22 Grand Slam tournaments.
But facing a chronic injury with no cure (Müller-Weiss syndrome) seems increasingly complicated.
He doesn’t know it yet, but he will then experience an endless drop in the rankings, from fourth place to 672nd in the world before the start of the 2024 season.
The descent into hell is accentuated by other injuries to a body punished after 20 years in the elite plagued by physical problems.
During this time, Novak Djokovic will take the opportunity to add four of the next six Grand Slams to his record to surpass Nadal and take the record to 24.
. Wimbledon, July 6, 2022
On the London grass, Nadal reaches the semifinals, beating the American Taylor Fritz, but is injured. An abdominal tear that prevents him from playing against Nick Kyrgios.
“There is no point in playing if I want to continue my career,” he says of his withdrawal from the tournament.
He returns six weeks later, at the Cincinnati Masters 1000, where he falls in his debut. She is then eliminated in the second round of the US Open by the American Frances Tiafoe.
. London, September 23, 2022
One of the most glorious pages of tennis closes at the Rod Laver Cup, with Roger Federer’s last dance.
Together, hugging and crying, the protagonists of the best rivalry in the history of tennis, leave an image for history, sharing the court in a doubles match that they lost.
“It was a day full of emotions. When Roger leaves the circuit, a part of my life also leaves,” says Nadal, who became a father 15 days later, a prelude to a lackluster end of the season, with eliminations in the first round. Paris-Bercy round and in the group stage of the ATP Masters.
. Melbourne, January 18, 2023
Defending champion at the Australian Open, Nadal injured his hip and lost in the second round to American Mackenzie McDonald.
“The glass is beginning to be full and there will be a moment when it overflows. It’s hard. I feel forced to admit that I am mentally destroyed,” he says, beginning a leave that was initially going to be six to eight weeks. The reality will be very different.
. Manacor, May 18, 2023
Nadal announces his withdrawal from Roland Garros and that he will not play again in 2023, adding that he will probably retire after returning in 2024.
“I think I don’t deserve to end like this. That’s why I’m making one last effort, so that my end isn’t here, at a press conference. My ambition is to try to give myself the opportunity to enjoy next year, which will probably be the last one in the year.” circuit”.
. Manacor, December 1, 2023
“It’s time to go back.” After two operations and months of rehabilitation, Nadal announces his return to competition, which will take place in the first week of January 2024, at the Brisbane Tournament.
“I won’t win more Grand Slams than Djokovic, but I will have the opportunity to have fun again,” he says.
. Brisbane, December 29, 2023
“I feel good,” Nadal said in Brisbane, a day before the draw for his comeback tournament.
“I can’t complain, I feel much better today than I expected a month ago, but for me it is impossible to think about winning tournaments today. What is possible is to enjoy returning to the courts. I don’t expect much, honestly, I do. “The only thing I hope for is to be able to go to the field, feel competitive and do my best,” he said.
“Just being here is a victory,” he says.
Two days later, on December 31, he lost partnering Marc López in the first round of the Brisbane doubles draw, against Australians Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell.
His real return, in singles, will be on Tuesday against the Austrian Dominic Thiem.
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Brisbane, Australia | AFP
British tennis player Andy Murray acknowledged Saturday that he wants the opportunity to play big matches again against superstars Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Speaking about the first tournament of the season, in Brisbane, the 36-year-old said he missed the days when he regularly faced Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer at big tournaments.
Murray stood up to the big three players for a decade, between 2006 and 2016, before a plague of injuries sidelined him from the courts and caused him to lose his ranking status.
While the Serbian, the Swiss and the Spaniard continued to win great titles, Murray, now in 42nd place in the ATP rankings, had to fight to recover the lost ground, without reaching his greatest peak of form.
The last time he faced Nadal was in the semifinals of the Madrid Masters 1000 in 2016, and before facing Djokovic in that same tournament last year, he had not crossed paths with the Serbian since 2017.
“Obviously I would like to have the opportunity to play against them again, ideally in the later rounds of big tournaments,” Murray said.
“It’s something I’ve obviously missed, that feeling, of not really having had the opportunity. If I have the chance to train with them, I still really enjoy it,” added the Briton.
“It brings back very good memories, but if I could choose, I would like to face them in tournaments, not in the first rounds,” he concluded.
– Nadal, training partner –
Murray has been training alongside Nadal in Brisbane, where the Spaniard will make his return after almost 12 months out due to injury.
“Thank you, Andy Murray, for a great practice today. I wish you the best in the tournament, friend,” the Spaniard published on the social network X, accompanying the message with a photo of both players shaking hands on the network.
Murray said Nadal was moving well, showing no signs of the hip injury that sidelined him after the 2023 Australian Open.
The Briton added that Nadal seemed to have made small changes to his game during his time away from the tour.
“His second serve is slightly stronger than it was earlier in his career,” Murray said.
“But yes, in the rest of his game, unless there is a physical problem, there shouldn’t be too many reasons to make big changes in his game, he has been quite successful,” he added.
“When he is in shape, his style of play has always worked very, very well, seeking to dominate with his forehand,” he analyzed.
“If you want to be successful in the future, that’s what you should do. That’s how I was trying to play today,” he said of the joint training.
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The Czech tennis player Karolina Muchova, eighth in the worldadvertisement his withdrawal from the Australian Open 2024 due to a wrist injurywhich already made her miss the season-ending WTA Masters in October.
“Unfortunately, “the pain in my wrist has returned during my preparation” for the first Grand Slam of the new year, which will start on January 14 in Melbourneshe explained herself last night on her Facebook profile.
“Therefore I have to postpone my start of the season to heal completely“added the 27-year-old player.
Muchova was injured in September during the US Open, where she reached the semifinals.
The year 2023 was the best of his careerreaching the final at Roland Garros. She went from 149th to 8th in the WTA ranking.
His best result in an Australian Open was in 2021, when he reached the semifinals.
AFP.
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2023-12-31 14:03:14
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