Rafael Nadal’s comeback from a year-long injury break is going well so far. The Spaniard defeated Jason Kubler 6-1, 6-2, on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International after defeating Dominic Thiem in his first round.
The way his body is holding up so far is what most impressed Nadal, despite his great performance, especially in the opening set. Nadal claims that he is not at all bothered by his hip and foot and that they do not restrict his movement.
Nadal provided an update about his body and said: “I’ve had a year without playing with the tension of a real match, so I felt a little bit of muscle fatigue here and there. In general terms, I felt good, no? The important thing is the surgery on the psoas-iliac and the hip; that’s not bothering me at all. That’s super important for me.”
He added: “For the moment, the foot is answering well. That’s for me, the main issue: that the foot is problematic. For the moment, I can move myself with no limitations. That makes me feel happy and be able to play better without a doubt.”
Rafa Nadal says his hip & his foot are not bothering him at all, he can move without limitations:
“I’ve had a year without playing with the tension of a real match, so I felt a little bit of muscles tired here & there.
In general terms, I felt good, no? Important thing is the… pic.twitter.com/0ZDfP1Zzkm— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 4, 2024
Nadal in Brisbane, ranking, and results in 2024
Ranked no.672, the Spaniard achieved a composed 2-0 record in 2024. The Spaniard is competing in Brisbane where he managed to beat the world no.98 Dominic Thiem 7-5 6-1 and the world no.102 Jason Murray Kubler 6-1 6-2.
Rafael Nadal will face the world no.55 Jordan Thompson in the quarter on Friday at 8:00 pm on PAT RAFTER ARENA. Their actual head to head record is 2-0 for Nadal.
Nadal won 92 titles in his career: 24 on hard courts, 63 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 4 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
