Rafael Nadal (37 years old; 662nd in the world) has not played on the circuit since he was eliminated in the second round of the Australian Open in January 2023, hampered by a hip problem. This Thursday, Craig Tiley declared his optimism about a return of the Spaniard to Melbourne (January 14-28, 2024): “Rafa has been training, I follow him closely, probably every day, because he is a major asset for us. He wants to play, he obviously intends to do so. It all depends on his state of health. Hopefully in the next week or two we’ll have specific confirmation. I’m sure Rafa will be there because he won’t want to miss the opportunity to repeat what he did a few years ago.”
In 2022, Rafael Nadal, after a stunning final against Daniil Medvedev, won a second title in Melbourne. His 22nd Grand Slam title.