Rafael Nadal suffered a first setback in his comeback after a long injury break.
The 37-year-old Spaniard was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the tennis tournament in Brisbane on Friday (January 5, 2024). Nadal had to admit defeat against the Australian Jordan Thompson 7:5, 6:7 (6:8), 3:6 after 3:26 hours. The 22-time winner forgave Grand Slam-Tournament winner three match points in the second set.
For Nadal, the 250 hard court event in northeastern Australia was the first tournament since his dramatic second-round exit at the Australian Open about a year ago. He then had to take a long break due to a hip injury and had to undergo surgery. In the meantime, Nadal was even threatened with the end of his career.
Minor injury
The long-time world number one has announced that 2024 will likely be Nadal’s final season. The Spaniard had the game under control for a long time against Thompson, but then surprisingly had to give up the second set in the tiebreak.
In the third round, Nadal was treated for a few minutes, but returned to the court and played the match to the end. Regarding the injury, which begins on January 14th Australian Open means remains to be seen.