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Victor Petkov
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Rafael Nadal returns on court with a defeat
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He lost his doubles game alongside Marc Lopez

The 22-time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal, made his comeback to the court after an absence of nearly a year due to injury.

Nadal and Marc Lopez lost 4-6, 4-6 to Australians Mark Purcell and Jordan Thompson in the first round of the doubles tournament in Brisbane. Both Spaniards are Olympic doubles champions from Rio de Janeiro 2016.

On January 2nd, the Spaniard will have a singles match in the competition, facing the 2020 US Open champion, Dominic Thiem (Austria). Nadal was warmly welcomed by fans, who raised Spanish flags and applauded loudly for each of his winning shots in the match.

The Brisbane tournament serves as a warm-up for the Australian Open, which begins on January 14.

The 37-year-old Nadal played his first match since January 2023 when he lost to American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open. Throughout 2023, the Spaniard only secured one victory in four matches. On May 18, he announced in a special press conference that due to a hip injury, he would be off the court for several months and that 2024 could be his last year in his professional career. He underwent surgery in June and missed almost the entire 2023 season.