{"id":109616,"date":"2023-10-12T06:57:49","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T06:57:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/10\/12\/rafael-nadal-to-make-grand-slam-return-at-australian-open\/"},"modified":"2023-10-12T06:57:49","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T06:57:49","slug":"rafael-nadal-to-make-grand-slam-return-at-australian-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/10\/12\/rafael-nadal-to-make-grand-slam-return-at-australian-open\/","title":{"rendered":"Rafael Nadal to make Grand Slam return at Australian Open"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Rafael Nadal most recently won the Australian Open in 2022
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Rafael Nadal will make his return to Grand Slam tennis following hip surgery at the 2024 Australian Open, says tournament chief Craig Tiley.<\/p>\n

Spain\u2019s 22-time Grand Slam champion has been out of action since January and underwent surgery in June.<\/p>\n

Nadal, 37, has said he plans to retire at the end of the 2024 season.<\/p>\n

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According to Tiley, former women\u2019s champions Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki also plan to return after maternity breaks.<\/p>\n

Nadal has been sidelined since injuring his hip flexor in a second-round defeat by Mackenzie McDonald at January\u2019s Australian Open.<\/p>\n

In announcing he would miss the French Open for the first time in 19 years \u2013 the tournament where he has won 14 of his majors \u2013 Nadal said next year will \u201cprobably\u201d be the last year of his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can reveal exclusively here that Rafa will be back,\u201d Tiley said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s 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\u2019re really excited about, the champion of 2022. That\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Nadal is back on court, those close to him say that it is too early to confirm whether he will be in Melbourne in January.<\/p>\n

His representative Benito Perez-Barbadillo confirmed Nadal is back practising but added \u201cthere is no date confirmed, scheduled or programmed yet for his comeback\u201d.<\/p>\n

Two-time Australian Open champion Nadal claimed his most recent Slam at Roland Garros in 2022. Novak Djokovic has since taken his leading men\u2019s tally to 24.<\/p>\n

On the expected return of Osaka, Kerber and Wozniacki, Tiley added: \u201cWe\u2019ll welcome them \u2013 and their families \u2013 back to Melbourne with open arms and can\u2019t wait to see what their next chapter brings.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, speaking in 2017, Tiley had said there was \u201cno question\u201d Serena Williams would be ready to feature at the 2018 tournament, despite having only had a baby that September, and she did not play.<\/p>\n

The Australian Open will\u00a0become a 15-day event for the first time\u00a0in 2024 in an attempt to reduce the number of late-night finishes at Melbourne Park.<\/p>\n

At the 2023 tournament,\u00a0Novak Djokovic\u00a0won a record-extending 10th title and\u00a0Aryna Sabalenka\u00a0won her first Grand Slam singles title.<\/p>\n

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