By: Nadia Liu

Editor-in-Chief

Rafael Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, announced his return to tennis in a video posted to social media on Dec 2. The former world number one has been recovering from a hip flexor injury after last year’s Australian Open and previously said that he plans to retire at the end of the 2024 season. In the emotional video, Nadal stated, “After one year outside of the tour, I think it’s the right moment to be back. I feel ready to announce that I will be back in Brisbane the first week of the season. See you there.” 

Returning after a three-year hiatus following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brisbane International, an ATP 250 tournament, will help the 37-year-old tennis star warm up for the Australian Open, the first major of the year. The first Spaniard to win the tournament, Nadal won the Australian Open in 2009 and 2022 before losing to American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round last year due to his hip injury. Nadal sat out the rest of the 2023 tennis season after undergoing hip surgery in June, causing his ATP rank to dramatically decrease. Formerly at number one, the Spaniard fell to the 664th spot, marking 2023 as the first time he dropped out of the top 10 in more than 17 years and out of the top 600 since 2002. In May, Nadal announced in a press conference that he would miss the French Open, but hoped to compete in 2024, which he intends to be his final season.

In the video posted to social media, Nadal explains that he has lower expectations for the season and is letting go of his chase for perfection. Known for his competitive and tenacious spirit, Nadal says he knows that things will be different after his time away: terrain. I have internalized what I have had throughout my life, which is to demand myself the maximum, and right now what I really hope is to be able not to do that, not to demand the maximum, to accept that things are going to be very difficult at the beginning and to give myself the necessary time and forgive myself if things go wrong at the beginning, which is a very big possibility.” 

Taylor Fritz — currently ranked 10th, the highest of any American — reacted to news of Nadal’s return at a press conference. Fritz focused on the possibility that anyone could play the now unseeded 22-time Grand Slam champion: He’s still going to play really well and it’s still going to be difficult for a lot of guys to play him early and in the draw simply because he’s not seeded.”

 The Brisbane International starts on Dec. 31, before the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of 2024, kicks off on Jan. 14.

(Sources: ATP, BBC, ESPN)