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Despite a nearly year-long layoff from tennis due to a hip injury, and a recent setback in men's doubles playing with Marc Lopez, Rafael Nadal demonstrated his enduring prowess in singles competition. On Tuesday, at the Brisbane International, Nadal, entering as a wildcard, faced off against his well-known adversary Dominic Thiem. In a display of high-energy tennis lasting an hour and 30 minutes at the Pat Rafter Arena, Nadal triumphed with a score of 7-5, 6-1, advancing to the pre-quarterfinals.
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This marked Nadal's return to competitive singles after a 349-day hiatus, his last match being at the Australian Open 2023. There, he suffered an unexpected second-round defeat, aggravating his left hip flexor injury, which later required surgery in June. His performance in Brisbane, witnessed by a full house including his father Sebastian, was a vivid showcase of his skills. Nadal's agility, quick reflexes at the net, and powerful forehand were as impressive as ever, signaling a strong comeback.
In the first set, both players were determined not to give up their service games, particularly Nadal, who impressively held to love four times and only conceded three points. He achieved the set's first break in the 12th game, capitalizing on some unsteady strokes from Thiem. Despite a shaky start in that game, the 92-time tour-level champion recovered to secure the vital point, taking the lead in their 16th ATP head-to-head.
Nadal continued to assert his dominance in the second set, breaking Thiem's serve in both the second and sixth games, while also maintaining an impeccable service game. His first serve was particularly effective, winning 90 percent (28/31) of the points. Additionally, Nadal only lost three points on his second serve and struck 12 winners, further highlighting his commanding performance.
“Today is honestly an emotional and important day for me after probably one of the toughest years of my tennis career, without a doubt,” Nadal said in his on-court interview. “I had the chance to come back after a year and play in front of an amazing crowd and play, I think, at a very positive level.
“On the first day, it is something that makes us feel proud. Myself, all the team and family that have been there every single day during the past year.”
Nadal's triumph in Brisbane elevated his total number of career tour-level wins to 1069, overtaking the former World No. 1 Ivan Lendl in the all-time rankings. He now trails only behind Jimmy Connors (1274), Roger Federer (1251), and Novak Djokovic (1088) in this elite group.
Looking ahead, Nadal is set to compete against either the eighth seed Aslan Karatsev or the local wildcard Jason Kubler in the round of 16 at Brisbane. This event marks his first participation in Brisbane since 2017.
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