Rafa return refuted: Nadal's team say it's too early to confirm Australian Open comeback
Tennis NewsWednesday, 11 October 2023 at 14:15
During the night as Craig Tiley, tournament director of the Australian Open launched the 2024 edition, a Rafael Nadal bombshell was fired but it has been semi refuted by his team on Wednesday afternoon.
Nadal is currently amidst his comeback bid with training videos going up most days at the moment. But his team has said that it is too early to say whether or not he will return to Australia.
Some expected Nadal to go straight onto the clay courts of Paris and potentially end his career there as a swansong on his favorite surface making a trip to Australia a diversion from that.
“We have seen the reports and comments but as of today we wouldn’t be able to confirm. Definitely we don’t know yet. Too early to say. We have definitely not released any date cause we simply don’t know it. Rafa is just starting to practice.”
But as journalist, Stuart Fraser added in the original tweet, it is the norm to do this. Craig Tiley in this past has announced players to drum up ticket sales who don't actually end up playing in Australia and with Nadal and Kyrgios in particular receiving comeback statements, that was likely done without prior knowledge.
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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