When Rafael Nadal plays in Brisbane in January, it will be his first time playing tennis in a year.

Following a year off, Rafael Nadal will resume competitive tennis in Brisbane in January. The 22-time Grand Slam champion will start his final season on the ATP Tour in order to get ready for the Australian Open; the Spaniard’s most recent match was a second-round loss to Mackenzie MacDonald in Melbourne at the beginning of 2023.

When Rafael Nadal plays at the Brisbane International in the first week of January, live on Sky Sports, he will be playing tennis for the first time in a year.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t competed since losing to American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open at the beginning of 2023 due to a hip injury.

Nadal confirmed on social media that his comeback will take place in Australia next month as he begins his final year on the ATP Tour.

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The 37-year-old stated in a video posted on X: “It’s time to return to competition after a year off. In Brisbane during the first week of January, that is. I’ll run into you there.

In 2024, Sky Sports’ audience will have access to tennis all year round thanks to new five-year partnerships with the ATP and WTA, which will feature players like Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, and others.

Nadal will use the Brisbane International to get ready for the Australian Open, which he will play in Melbourne later this month. Nadal has won the Australian Open twice, in 2009 and 2022.

In the Australian Open final of 2022, Rafael Nadal overcame Daniil Medvedev after trailing by two sets. Later that year, Nadal achieved a record-tying 14 victories at the French Open.

The Spaniard intends to retire at the end of the current campaign, so he may only have four more chances to increase his haul. He has not won a major since.

Nadal is eager to compete for Spain in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

During his injury layoff, he fell to 633 in the world rankings, but since he hasn’t participated in an event for at least six months, he is qualified for a protected ranking.

In a recent interview, Novak Djokovic expressed his desire to play at least one more match against Rafael Nadal.