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Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic (Source: Twitter)
Rafael Nadal is all set to return to professional tennis after a year-long absence due to injury. He will be in action at the Australian Open warm-up event in Brisbane starting Sunday (December 31). The Spanish legend also acknowledged the possibility of 2024 marking the end of his distinguished ATP professional career.
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Meanwhile, Nadal's biggest on-court rival, Novak Djokovic, expects the 37-year-old to be as competitive as ever. The current World No. 1 is preparing to defend his Australian Open title next month but believes he will face a serious challenge from Nadal.
"I always expect him (Nadal) to play at his best, to be honest. Many times they've signed him out, they've done that with me as well. But we've proved them wrong," Djokovic told journalists during an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz in Riyadh.
"He's not a kind of a player that will come back to the tour just to play -- let's say -- on a medium level, play a few matches. He wants to win titles, he wants to be the best, that's why he is who he is: a legend of our sport. I'm sure that his training and preparation is done with an intention to win a Grand Slam," he added.
I think he's ready for great things: Carlos Alcaraz
Nadal suffered a hip injury in his second-round loss to American MacKenzie McDonald at the Australian Open last January. This unexpected setback forced him to miss several tournaments and dropped his career ranking to 670. Djokovic had a great season in 2023, winning three Grand Slams to surpass Nadal (22) with a record of 24 titles.
World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz is also expecting his compatriot to excel in his comeback tour. "I think he's ready... I saw some videos of him practising, he's 100 percent," the Spaniard said.
"I hear from other players that they practised with Rafa in these past weeks and they said that he's going to return to his good level. His top level. I think he's ready for great things this year as well," he added.