2024-01-02 15:25:30
Everything has changed…and yet almost nothing has changed. 349 days after his last appearance on the circuit, Rafael Nadal, 37 and a half years old and world No. 672, made a successful return to the first round of the Brisbane tournament. Facing a Dominic Thiem light years from his former rank of No. 3 at the ATP (7-5, 6-1), the Spaniard awakened for an hour and a half an ambivalent feeling of nostalgia and hope .
“It was a very important and moving day for me,” he breathes, liberated. I had one of the hardest years of my career, I had to fight a lot to have the opportunity to come back and play in front of this incredible audience. Playing at this level is very positive! I missed being healthy, feeling competitive and playing in front of a packed stadium like here. »
2024 is off to a great start for Rafael Nadal, author of a brilliant comeback against Dominic Thiem after a year off ????
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As soon as he entered the court, we found Nadal hopping in all directions in his orange and sky outfit, meticulously placing his bottles in front of his bench or tirelessly pulling on his shorts. The only notable difference in one year is that the silhouette is sharper and the hair is even thinner under the bandana.
For the rest, from the first point, the enthusiastic public of central Pat Rafter recognized the death rattle and the trademark of the man at the 22 Grand Slams with a superb winning uncrossed forehand. Hanging up to 5-5 without being really worried by the Austrian, the Spaniard tightened the game to conclude the first round on his fourth set point before going it alone to achieve his 1069th professional victory and overtake Ivan Lendl behind Connors, Federer and Djokovic.
“But you can imagine that this is not the statistic I was looking at before the match,” he smiles. I just wanted to fight, to be competitive. I was nervous because it had been a long time but it went well. ” Indeed. The test seems more than positive. Nadal served very well, found his playing patterns, often took the ball early on the backhand, delivered some nice forehand slaps and showed with little paws that he has lost absolutely nothing with his hand. All with his usual fighter attitude.
“I felt more or less free to do what I wanted on the court”
“Anything can happen after a long period without playing a match,” he explains. When you enter the field, you expect everything. Incredible things or disasters. I think I had a good day. I played very solidly, without making any mistakes or making bad decisions in my schemes. It’s something I’m very happy with. »
The Mallorcan, and this is quite normal, has also shown that he has room for improvement in return and he should gain strength in this area as the matches go on. On the physical side, the double winner of the Australian Open, who had hip surgery last June, showed no signs of concern. But it is quite difficult to judge and gauge this parameter because the two men hardly had any long exchanges. Nadal responded well to the few drop shots attempted by Thiem at the start of the game, reassured on his support recoveries, but then did not have to shine with his movements.
“After the operation, you are afraid to make certain movements and for everything to be automatic, you have to find your speed and that comes with the matches,” notes the king of Roland-Garros (14 titles). I need to be on the ground and not think about it, but everything comes automatically. I’m excited to play one more day. I don’t know how I will wake up tomorrow (Wednesday), but for now I feel good. I felt more or less free to do what I wanted on the court and I didn’t finish the match with bad physical sensations. »
All the lights appear green. It now remains to be seen how Nadal will manage the sequence of meetings. First element of response Thursday with his second round against the Australian Kubler.
“I repeat, if I am healthy and able to train at the necessary level and play matches, the chances of becoming competitive again in a relatively short period of time are higher,” he continues. The main thing for me is to be healthy. I haven’t forgotten how to play tennis. What’s difficult is putting it into practice in a professional match, because ultimately you have to get the movement back and that takes time. »
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