After 347 days, Rafael Nadal made a comeback to the tennis court, participating in doubles at the ATP 250 in Brisbane alongside his current coach Marc Lopez, with whom he won an Olympic gold medal in 2016.
Despite the loss to the Australian pair Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell (6-4, 6-4), the match’s outcome is not the primary focus, as Rafa’s return from injury is what we have all been eagerly anticipating. Now, our champ will shift his focus to the upcoming singles match on January 2 against Dominic Thiem.
Our champ was warmly welcomed by fans who held up Spanish flags and supportive messages while the loudest cheers were reserved for his trademark whipped shots and a powerful crosscourt backhand winner in the opening set.
Welcome back, Rafa!
I admire and adore Rafa because of his fairness, his humility, his kindness, his sense of humor, and his overall character.
Dominic has had his challenges too…Should be a good match…Rafa knows what to do…
Do I dare say … “He’s got this”. Ok .. He’s got this! 😂
VAMOS RAFA!
Welcome back to action, Rafa👏🫶
Was it 2020 when Rafa was number 1 in the world and lost to Dominic at the AO? If memory serves Rafa lost two or three tie breakers to him.
That was the same AO that Theim made to the finals and was up 2-1 on Djokovic and still managed to lose.
Theim is a great guy and a friend of Rafa’s. It will be a tough match. Go Rafa!
Yup, you’re correct about both the Thiem- Rafa match (three tie breakers, Rafa lost in four sets) and the Dopeovic-Thiem final.
I’ve always liked Thiem. He comes across as a really nice guy. That wrist injury that has plagued him is quite a shame. Basically, if he plays any shot with a load of welly behind it, the wrist could just stop working.
Sorry about this, Thiem, as much as I like you, hit the ball hard.
Rafa vs. Thiem will be Roland-Garros-Flashbacks😉
Rafa is back! 💃💃