Rafael Nadal's return to action has not been confirmed in terms of date, but he has teased some big announcements incoming and a return to the court. Many expect that to be at the Australian Open including tournament director, Craig Tiley.
Tiley previously courted criticism for advertising Nadal for the tournament, despite the admission of the Spaniard not making a decision either way yet.
They said it was too early to make such rapid remarks. But it seems that Tiley in reality was correct if he does play in Melbourne and he says that he checks in with him most days.
This is due to the marketing value that he brings to the draw if he does play. It is also a time that he will want the stars on show, with Nick Kyrgios also a worry due to injury and his return to the court uncertain.
"Rafa has been training, I follow him closely, probably every day, because he's a massive drawcard for us. He wants to play, he's obviously planning on playing. It all depends on how he pulls up," said Tiley.
"Hopefully in the next week or the next two weeks, we get some specific confirmation of that. I'm certain Rafa will be here because he's not going to want to miss the opportunity to repeat what he did a couple of years ago."
"Hopefully in the next week or the next two weeks, we get some specific confirmation. I'm certain Rafa will be here because he's not going to want to miss the opportunity to repeat what he did a couple of years ago." ~ Craig Tiley On Rafa’s return to AO 2024 AO24
