MOSCOW, January 2 Spanish tennis player returning to the court after injury Rafael Nadal said that he missed healthy competition and full stands.
On Tuesday, Nadal played his first singles match after injury, beating Austrian Dominic Thiem 7:5, 6:1 at a tournament in Brisbane, Australia. Previously, Nadal underwent arthroscopy in the area of the iliopsoas muscle in a clinic in Barcelona. The last time the tennis player took to the court was in January 2023 at the Australian Open. Earlier at the tournament in Brisbane, Nadal, paired with compatriot Mark Lopez, lost to Australians Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson in the first round.
Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)Brisbane International02 January 2024 • starts at 12:10FinishedDominic TeamAustria0 : 25:71:6Rafael NadalSpain
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"Today is a very important and emotional day for me after a year , which became one of the most difficult in my career. I got the chance to come back and play in front of an amazing crowd on a very positive level. This is what makes me and my entire team feel proud. I have received thousands of messages this year. Having great people around me has definitely made a huge difference. “I missed healthy competition and playing in front of such full houses as this,” the official ATP website quotes Nadal.
Nadal is 37 years old, the Spaniard is a 22-time winner of Grand Slam tournaments, a record 14 times won «Roland Garros».