SPANISH SUPERSTAR RAFAEL Nadal’s first match back after a 12-month injury layoff ended in defeat when he and doubles partner Marc Lopez went down to Australian pair Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell on Sunday.
The Australian duo were too consistent, winning their Brisbane International first round-match 6-4, 6-4 on Pat Rafter Arena.
Nadal looked sharp on court and appeared to have no issues with his movement after the long layoff for a hip problem.
He takes to the singles court on Tuesday against former US Open champion Dominic Thiem of Austria.
Thiem, a former world number three who was beaten by Nadal in the 2018 and 2019 French Open finals, battled through two tough qualifying rounds to make the main draw.
Like Nadal, he has also struggled with injury and fell to 352 in the world in 2022 following a right wrist tear. He is currently ranked 98.
The two men have played 15 times, with Nadal winning nine and Thiem six.
However, the Austrian has won their past two encounters at the ATP Tour Finals in 2020 and the Australian Open the same year.
Nadal left the door ajar to continuing after the 2024 season, but conceded there was “a high percentage” that he was on his last trip as a player to Australia.
Before playing, the 37-year-old said he did not know for sure what the future held.
“The problem about saying that’s going to be my last season is I can’t predict what’s going on 100% in the future,” he said.
“That’s why I say ‘probably’. It’s obvious it’s a high percentage that it’s going to be my last time playing here in Australia.
“But if I am here next year, don’t tell me, ‘You said it was going to be your last season’, because I didn’t say it.
“You never know what’s going on, you know? I can’t predict how I’m going to be in the next six months. I can’t predict if my body will allow me to enjoy tennis as much as I enjoyed the past 20 years.
“It’s not an easy decision, but I know inside myself that it is a high percentage that it’s going to be my last one.”
