Rafael Nadal's official return to tennis will take place in doubles this January 31 in Brisbane: here are all the details
ATPSaturday, 30 December 2023 at 09:02
Rafael Nadal will return to competition at the Brisbane International. In singles he will do it against a qualifier on January 2, but he will return before in doubles, as the Spanish tennis player will participate in the first round along with Marc Lopez, his partner of the Olympic gold medal in 2016.
Lopez, 41, joined Nadal's coaching staff in 2021 and will now partner him in this tournament. The pair will face the Australian combination of Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson in the final scheduled match at the Pat Rafter Arena.
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This will be Nadal's first doubles match since playing with Roger Federer in the Laver Cup in 2022.
On the opening day at the Pat Rafter Arena, Australia's Arina Rodionova will play Italy's Martina Trevisan, who was among the top 20 in the world in 2023.
Sloane Stephens, former world No. 3 and 2017 U.S. Open champion, will face Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic, an Olympic gold medalist in doubles.
On center court, there will be a duel between two Australian players, Alexei Popyrin and Chris O'Connell, both of whom have reached their highest ranking in their careers.
In addition to Nadal, other notable names such as Andy Murray, Holger Rune, Grigor Dimitrov, Sebastian Korda and Ben Shelton will also start their campaigns at the Brisbane International.
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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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- Clearly not AI :-)
AceOfBase11-09-2026 - Oh my God!! Does anyone proofread these pages??? Case in point: However, the question mark over the 32-years-old head......???? No! No! No! However, the question mark over the 32-year-old's head...good grief man, hire a proofreader. This article is rife with errors making some sentences very difficult to read. I had to stop. I am a proofreader hence my disgust.Rapunzel10-09-2026
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mandoist08-09-2026 - Don't lay this shitshow on "Americans". It is a long-running Ego trip with WTA allowing these two Elitists 'in need of a Camera' illicit Wildcards. If these two clowns want to "perform" -- then play the qualies.mandoist08-09-2026
- Here we go again…. Different rules for Americans! Especially THESE Americans. Yuck!DaveyWavey07-09-2026
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