The man of the moment is Rafael Nadal.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion announced earlier this week that he would be playing tennis after almost a year.
Nadal’s comeback
After what seemed like an eternity for Nadal’s supporters, the Spanish player finally set a date for his comeback, December 31.
Following a few weeks of intense training and feeling fantastic, Rafael Nadal, who spoke in Spanish, declared in a video that he’s finally prepared to put on another show on the court.
Nadal said he would be playing his first tennis match in the first week of the season at Brisbane International, a tournament that was established back in 2009 and is played on hard courts.
🎧👀💪🏻😉 pic.twitter.com/iH7NvsQGMT
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) December 1, 2023
Multiple news outlets on X also posted an alternate version of the video, in which Nadal spoke in English.
𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗔 𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞!@RafaelNadal will make his return to tennis at the Brisbane International on December 31st! 😍 pic.twitter.com/EhZxOa4Z4P
— Eurosport (@eurosport) December 2, 2023
Brisbane Mayor’s projection
And just as the sports community rejoiced over Nadal’s comeback, the Mayor of Brisbane, Adrian Schrinner, was equally pleased by the announcement, as he projects that this would boost the local economy.
Mayor Schrinner predicted that a large influx of locals, tourists, and tennis enthusiasts would flock to the Queensland Tennis Center to watch Nadal play, bringing millions of dollars into Brisbane’s economy through the city’s hotels, eateries, and other tourism-related businesses.
The Spanish tennis player last competed at the Australian Open in 2023, losing to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round at Rod Laver Arena.
The day after his loss, Rafael Nadal revealed the devastating news that, after a medical examination, he had been battling a grade two lesion in the iliacus psoas, two muscles that are vital in hip motion.
On May 18, Nadal pulled out of the 2023 French Open, citing that he has yet to fully recover from his hip injury.
Subsequently, he declared his intention to retire in 2024 and relish his final year in the sport, as reported by CNN’s Matias Grez.
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