October 11th 2023.
Rafael Nadal is set to make his grand slam comeback at the 2021 Australian Open, according to Australian Open chief Craig Tiley. After a shock second round defeat in Melbourne earlier this year, the 37-year-old Spaniard had to make the difficult decision to withdraw from both the French Open and Wimbledon due to a hip injury.
Speculation about the 22-time Grand Slam champion's retirement had been rampant during his period of inactivity. However, Tiley has now put all doubts to rest. He told the Today show, "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. That's awesome."
Nadal himself has not spoken much on his future since he gave a press conference in May. During that conference, he said, "After many years playing there, you can imagine how much of a difficult decision it's been for me. This isn't a decision I've made, it's a decision my body has made. I'm not going to be playing for the next few months."
He also discussed taking a break from the game, saying, "I've got to draw a line and that's what I'm doing now. Over the next few months I'm going to strengthen my physical state and recuperate. I need to put my career on hold and I'm going to try and regenerate my body. I'm not going to set a deadline - that's going to be when I will feel ready physically."
It appears that this break is coming to an end and Nadal is set to return to the court to face one of his greatest rivals, Novak Djokovic, in January. Fans of the tennis legend can look forward to seeing him at the 2021 Australian Open!
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