Nadal announcement teased as post stirs excitement with Spaniard eyeing return

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The Brisbane International has teased Rafael Nadal’s return just days after the Spaniard’s potential comeback schedule emerged. In a social media post, the ATP 250 organisers sparked excitement when they told fans to prepare for a big announcement, hinting that Nadal could be the next player to sign up for the event. 

Nadal recently confirmed that he would be able to make a return to professional tennis after spending most of 2023 on the sidelines. The 37-year-old injured himself at the Australian Open back in January and has not played since, undergoing arthroscopic surgery in June.

But he has been back on the practice court gearing up for a comeback, and an announcement about his first tournament could be imminent. The Brisbane International shared a video to X (formerly known as Twitter) of their centre court being prepared ahead of the tournament, which begins on December 31.

Alongside the footage, they wrote: “Getting set for a BIG announcement. In the meantime, sit back, relax and enjoy some court surfacing at Pat Rafter Arena.” It remains to be seen whether the announcement will be related to the player line-up but fans are already anticipating that Nadal will be the next player to add his name to the list.

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It comes just days after Cadena SER reported that Nadal would travel to Australia after Christmas and compete in a warm-up event before deciding on his participation in the Australian Open. The former world No 1 has been ramping up his training efforts in recent weeks and will also be taking a trip to his academy in Kuwait to continue practising “in addition to participating in some events”.

Nadal would then head home to Mallorca before making the trip Down Under. With the Brisbane International taking place from December 31 to January 7, it lines up with the Spaniard’s travel plans. Andy Murray, Holger Rune, Grigor Dimitrov and Ben Shelton have already been confirmed for the ATP 250 event in Brisbane.

On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Victoria Azarenka are set to compete with another player making their comeback at the tournament – Naomi Osaka. The four-time Major winner gave birth to her first child earlier this year.

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Two weeks ago, Nadal finally announced that he would be able to get back on a match court following months of uncertainty. The 22-time Grand Slam champion had initially been hesitant to commit to a comeback after his operation in June, previously admitting that his body may not allow it.

But he changed his tune after getting back on the practice court. At the recent Clinica del Tenis, event, Nadal said: “I sincerely believe that I will return to play. I can’t say at what level I’ll be able to return, but I’ve never lost the desire to play and now it seems that things are going in the right direction.”

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