After almost a year off due to his injury at the 2023 Australian Open, Rafael Nadal returns to the court this January 2 at the Brisbane International Tournament. His opponent in the first round, coming from the qualifying round, will be none other than Dominic Thiem.
The Austrian player has qualified for the first round of the Australian tournament after two tough matches against local player James McCabe and Italian Giulio Zeppieri. Nadal will thus face a player who comes much more ready having played two very competitive matches.
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If Rafa is not at his best because he has been a year off, Thiem is also far from the player who played two Roland Garros finals him and won the US Open. He has been trying for months to recover his level of yesteryear, although in 2023 he did not get too outstanding results. Now it seems that he hopes to start with better fortune. The match will be played on Tuesday, January 2. They also played a practice match at the tournament this week with Nadal prevailing 6-3.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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