Rafael Nadal Back To Typical Self, Defeating Thiem 349 Days Ago
Since losing in the second round of the Australian Open in January of last year, Rafa Nadal has not participated in a singles match at the highest level.
Rafael Nadal defeated Dominic Thiem, the former No. 3 ranked player, 7-5 and 6-1 in his comeback match at the Brisbane International on Tuesday, displaying no traces of rust following his year off the game.
Since losing in the second round of the Australian Open in January of last year, the 22-time major champion has not participated in a top singles match.
He didn’t convey it. In just six unforced mistakes and three missed service opportunities throughout the opening set, the 37-year-old Rafael Nadal maintained his lead. To seal the win in 89 minutes, he had won eight of the previous nine games.
Nadal remarked that the past 12 months had been some of the hardest of his professional career. He is currently ranked No. 672 and is playing on a wild card in Brisbane following a protracted recovery from a hip injury.
In a post-match TV interview, he stated,
“To be honest, this is a really emotional and significant day for me. It was an extremely encouraging level for the first day.”
The first-round match of the day took place on the covered Pat Rafter Arena, with No. 51-ranked Yannick Hanfmann of Germany defeating fifth-seeded Sebastian Korda 7-5, 6-4.
Arina Rodionova, ranked 113th in the women’s draw, defeated 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 7-5, 7-6 (7) in the second round.
Rodionova, an Australian 34-year-old who has never been ranked in the top 100, gave Kenin opportunities in both sets, but she was under relentless scrutiny on her serve.
A major warm-up match before the Australian Open, which gets off in Melbourne on January 14, saw Kenin seeded fourteenth in Brisbane.
