Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has revealed that Rafael Nadal will compete at the first Grand Slam tournament of the year in 2024 following his injury-hit 2023 season.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner has not been seen on the court since his second-round loss to Mackenzie Arnold Down Under in January, having struggled with a hip injury throughout the match.
Immediately after bowing out of the Australian Open, Nadal - who had also lost to Cameron Norrie and Alex de Minaur in January's United Cup - took a hiatus from the sport to recover from his hip concern, which he underwent surgery for in June.
Owing to his procedure, Nadal was unable to defend his 2022 French Open title and was also forced to miss this year's Wimbledon and US Open, both of which were won by Novak Djokovic.
Nadal's troubles in 2023 and similar injury woes in 2022, which saw him withdraw from Wimbledon before his semi-final with Nick Kyrgios, led to speculation that the Spaniard might soon call it a day, but he ruled out the possibility of retirement in September.
As the 37-year-old continues to step up his recovery, Australian Open chief Tiley recently confirmed to The Today Show that Nadal would return to compete for his 23rd major honour next year.
"We can reveal exclusively here that Rafa will be back," Tiley said. "He's been off for most of the year and in talking to him over the last few days he confirmed he will be back, which we're really excited about, the champion of 2022. That's awesome."
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Nadal has won two Australian Open titles in 2009 and 2022 - overcoming Daniil Medvedev in last year's final - but he has now slipped to 240th in the rankings after missing nine months of action.
However, Nadal's lengthy layoff means that he can enter via a protected ranking, but the Spaniard has hinted that the 2024 season might be his final year in competitive tennis.
Alongside the 22-time Grand Slam champion, Tiley also confirmed that Australian home favourite Kyrgios is set to play Down Under in January after withdrawing from the 2023 competition due to a knee injury and subsequent operation.
Kyrgios made a brief return in June's Stuttgart Open, where he lost in the first round to China's Wu Yibing, before withdrawing from Wimbledon due to a wrist injury and also sitting out the US Open.
"Nick is also doing his utmost to get back to his best and is plotting his return to the court," Tiley added. "We know how much competing at the Australian Open means to him and he never fails to bring excitement and passion. His amazing brand of tennis and showmanship always adds something very special to the tournament."
In addition, two-time champion Naomi Osaka is set to compete at her first Grand Slam since the 2022 US Open, having missed the entire 2023 season due to her pregnancy.
The returning Caroline Wozniacki - the 2018 champion - is also due to play Down Under, as is 2016 winner Angelique Kerber, who gave birth to her first child in February.
Ben Knapton
