Rafael Nadal of Spain waves to the group in his match against Dominic Thiem of Austria in the course of the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
BRISBANE, Australia — Rafael Nadal showed no signs of rust from his 12 months off the tour, winning his return match over former No. 3-ranked Dominic Thiem 7-5, 6-1 on the Brisbane International on Tuesday.
The 22-time major winner hadn’t played a singles match on the elite level since a second-round exit on the Australian Open last January.
He didn’t show it. The 37-year-old Nadal made just six unforced errors and dropped only three points on his serve in the primary set. He won eight of the last nine games to clinch victory in 89 minutes.
Now ranked No. 672 and playing on a wild card in Brisbane after a protracted rehabilitation from a hip injury, Nadal said the last 12 months had been among the many hardest of his skilled profession.
“Today is truthfully an emotional and essential day for me,” he said in a post-match TV interview. “It was a really positive level (for) the primary day.”
Within the opening match of the day on the covered Pat Rafter Arena, No. 51-ranked Yannick Hanfmann of Germany beat fifth-seeded Sebastian Korda 7-5, 6-4 in a first-round contest.
In the ladies’s draw, 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin was upset by No. 113-ranked Arina Rodionova 7-5, 7-6 (7) within the second round.
Kenin was consistently under pressure on her serve despite having possibilities in each sets against Rodionova, a 34-year-old Australian who has never been ranked in the highest 100.
Kenin was seeded 14th in Brisbane, a key tune-up tournament for the Australian Open starting Jan. 14 in Melbourne.
