​Rafael Nadal returned to the tennis courts after almost a year’s break, and after being eliminated from Brisbane in the quarterfinals, he announced new health problems and withdrew from the Australian Open 2024.

Rafael Nadal’s health problems are not as serious as was thought

Nadal lost his match against Jordan Thompson in the ATP quarterfinals in Brisbane in dramatic fashion (also missing three match points) and announced his withdrawal from the Australian Open soon after.

The Iberian (37 years old) made it clear that it was a problem he would have in the same area as the injury that kept him out of work for almost a year.

Back home, the former ATP leader underwent several thorough checks and, according to Mundo Deportivo, Rafa’s injury is not as serious as it first appeared.

After an MRI, it turned out that the problem was only in the muscles, and the tendon was actually not damaged.

Under these conditions, Nadal’s return to the court may take place earlier than originally thought.

The quoted source says that the Spaniard will return to training from next week.

In early March (#3), Rafa will play an exhibition match with Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas.

The main goal of the Iberian is to participate in Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam tournament of the season (the competition will be held from May 27 to June 9).

On Parisian soil, Rafa has 14 titles, the last won at the 2022 tournament (last year he did not participate due to health problems).

As a reminder, the Australian Open 2024 will be held from January 14 to 28 in Melbourne.

What you need to know about Rafael Nadal

• At the age of 37, the Iberian won 1,070 career victories and lost 221 times.

• He has 92 ATP titles won over a period of time, and 22 of them are Grand Slam tournaments (two titles behind record holder Novak Djokovic).

• He collected $134,659,704 in tennis prizes alone.