Rafael Nadal hasn’t played professional tennis since January’s Australian Open as he’s been dealing with a hip injury.
But it seems like the Spaniard is nearing a return, and several facts point to a potential comeback at the 2024 Australian Open.
The Grand Slam tournament’s director Craig Tiley said on Wednesday that Nadal was planning to make his return in January at the Australian Open.
"We can reveal exclusively here that Rafa will be back," Tiley said on Australia's The Today Show.
Nadal poured a little bit of cold water on Tiley's big reveal in a social media post, indicating that while nothing was confirmed, his recovery was moving in the right direction.
“I appreciate the vote of confidence from the Australian Open… I am practising every day and working hard to come back asap,” Nadal wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, adding a flexing and winky face emoji.
I appreciate the vote of confidence from the Australian Open… I am practising every day and working hard to come back asap 💪🏻😉
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) October 11, 2023
The 37-year-old also posted a video of him practicing on Instagram, further exciting fans about his impending comeback.
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While it's not a hard confirmation, Nadal's inclusion of a winky face feels like a hint that he'll be on the court come January.
Nadal's return is especially meaningful because he is expected to play his final year of professional tennis in 2024, he announced earlier in 2023.
While he didn’t play much at all this past season, Nadal had a historic year in 2022, capturing the Australian Open and French Open to break the record for most Grand Slam titles for a male tennis player with his 22nd championship. Since then, Novak Djokovic has reached 24 Grand Slam titles.
