Rafael Nadal sends positive vibes in comeback match with straight-sets win over Dominic Thiem

Rafael Nadal put any concern about rustiness to bed following his year-long injury layoff, defeating 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem 7-5, 6-1 in routine fashion in the first round of the Brisbane International on Tuesday.

Nadal, playing his first singles match since suffering a hip flexor injury in his second-round defeat at last year’s Australian Open, looked razor-sharp from the get-go, typically taking command with his big forehand and dominant play from the baseline. His serve was especially accurate, winning 90 percent of the points on his first serve and two-thirds of them on his serve in total. His movement was sharp, and he also put in plenty of returns back in play.

“Today is honestly an emotional and important day for me after probably one of the toughest years of my tennis career,” the Spaniard was quoted as saying by Reuters after the match.

“I had the chance to come back after a year and play in front of an amazing crowd and play at a very positive level on the first day is something that makes us feel proud – my team and family who have been there every day in the last year.”

Phenome-Nadal 😍@RafaelNadal #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/6z6U748pFz

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 2, 2024

Nadal asserted, later in his press conference, that he was happy to overcome any lingering fears regarding his competitive level with a confidence-boosting win.

“For me, the main thing is (to) stay healthy. I really think that I didn’t forget how to play tennis. The only thing that’s going to be difficult (is) to make it in a professional match and at a very high level of tennis,” he said.

“You need to recover the confidence and the movements. That takes time. After the surgery, you feel scared sometimes to do a kind of movement and you need to recover the speed and reading the ball and (doing) things in an automatic way.”

Another comeback bid

Thiem, a former World No.3 himself who is looking to return to his competitive best after spending a few seasons in and around the top 100, turned out to be a valiant sparring partner for Nadal, showing glimpses of his former self in a high-quality first set.

Despite leaking too many errors, the Austrian’s power was telling during most of the baseline exchanges, forcing Nadal to elevate his game at the back end of the set to find the breakthrough and convert a fourth break point in the 12th game to take the opening set. The intensity and shot-making on display in that period was reminiscent of some of the best tennis during the duo’s consecutive French Open finals in 2018 and 2019, both of which Nadal won.

@RafaelNadal is absolutely amazing! Having not played in more than 350 days after hip surgery, beating @domithiem 7:5 6:1 in the first round in Brisbane

— Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker) January 2, 2024

There was no looking back for him from there, who took the initiative early in the second set, breaking in Thiem’s first service game and consolidating his position further from there.

“You need hours on court, hours in a practice session, but at the same time hours in professional matches,” Nadal would later say. “I (didn’t) know what could happen today. It’s a day to be happy. I am excited to have the chance to play another time.”

Despite having made several injury comebacks in the past, most recently at the 2022 Australian Open where he returned from surgery to win the title after coming back from a two-set deficit in the final, this is the first time in his career that Nadal has been forced to return to his best after such a long period away from competitive action.

With uncertainty regarding the level he will be able to return at, a solid performance and win bodes well for his hopes to script another fairytale in Melbourne, where the Australian Open kicks off on January 14. Nadal has proven in the past that he should not be counted out after returning from injury layoffs. But the elite field has several Major contenders – including 10-time champion and World No.1 Novak Djokovic as well as exciting 20-year-old World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz.

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Nadal’s next match in Brisbane is against home favourite Jason Kubler.

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