It's no secret that Rafael Nadal will be making his long-anticipated return to the tennis courts at the 2024 Australian Open, and tournament CEO Craig Tiley has expressed his delight at the idea of the Spaniard's return in Melbourne.

Nadal last competed on the ATP tour at this year's Australian Open, and has since taken time off to deal with recurring injuries. However, Tiley revealed he had spoken to the Spaniard and had received confirmation that Nadal would be playing in Melbourne next year.

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Tiley believes Nadal's love of Australia played a role in choosing his return venue

"If you followed on social, we would watch closely, shots of him hitting and you always get your hopes up because you want people like Rafa to be here," said Tiley. "And he particularly is someone who loves Australia, loves playing [here], very well liked by all the staff and that too.

"So, pretty excited to see him hitting and feeling really good about it. Obviously there's still a little bit of time between now and January but if he stays healthy, that's important. So far the early signs have been really good."

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Nadal's last title at the Australian Open came in 2022, where he defeated Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling five-set encounter to lift his second title in Melbourne.