Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley has confirmed he’s recently spoken with Rafael Nadal, who plans to make his comeback at the 2024 Australian Open. Nadal hasn’t played since being knocked out of this year’s major in Melbourne Park as he battled with a hip injury.
It wasn’t until Nadal held a press conference in May as he withdrew from the French Open where he revealed the extent of his injury pain. The Spaniard refused to set a date for his comeback, but Tiley has now revealed that may come at the Australian Open.
“We can reveal exclusively here that Rafa will be back,” he said on the Today show. “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.”
Tiley has been in contact with Nadal to discuss the Spaniard’s long-awaited return to tennis. And he’s stated the 22-time Grand Slam champion will be making his comeback with an eye to winning the title in Australia.
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“He’s not going to come into the event unless he thinks he can win it,” Tiley added “He’s not going to just show up to play, he’s going to show up to win. I called him. We stay in touch.
“You always get your hopes up because you want people like Rafa to be here. He particularly is someone who loves Australia. So far the early signs have been really good”.”
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