"He wanted to make sure he was going to be able to play": Craig Tiley sheds light on Rafael Nadal Australian Open return...despite confirming him prematurely

After weeks of speculation, Australian Open CEO Craig Tiley has delved into the reason why Rafael Nadal delayed officially announcing his return to the Melbourne Grand Slam event next year.

Nadal has been sidelined by injury for almost a year, with his last appearance occurring at the 2023 Australian Open. However, after being given the greenlight by his medical team to resume his tennis career, the legendary Spaniard has announced his return to the ATP tour, with his first event being the Brisbane International.

Although he was initially unaware of his return date, Nadal and Tiley were in constant communication, according to the Tennis Australia executive. In an interview on Monday, Tiley stated the reason why Nadal took so long to make his comeback announcement was because he was concerned his body might not be ready for the grueling ATP tour by January 2024.

"It's fun talking to Rafa, that's why this job is great...what a beautiful person," said Tiley. "He's healthy; he's practicing well, he's playing like Rafa plays and going all out. It took a while to make the announcement simply because he wanted to make sure he was going to be able to come and play."

The 22-time Grand Slam champion had been practicing since June 2023, and ramped up the intensity in his training sessions as the year progressed, with the goal of competing at the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne.