The Australian Open will not have to use one of its allotted wild cards on Rafael Nadal, as the 37-year-old Spaniard has officially entered the tournament with a protected ranking.
Nadal played only two events in 2023, the United Cup and then the Australian Open–where a hip injury plagued him during a second-round loss to Mackenzie McDonald. He was ranked No. 2 at the time. After missing the entire rest of the year, Nadal is currently 664th in the world.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion confirmed last week that he will make his comeback in January at the Brisbane International. He posted a follow-up video to his social media channels on Monday.
“I have internalized what I have had throughout my life, which is to demand from myself the maximum,” Nadal said (in Spanish). “And right now what I really hope is to be able to not do that–to accept that things are going to be very difficult at the beginning (and) to give myself the necessary time, to forgive myself if things go wrong at the beginning–which is a very big possibility. But I know that there may be a not-too-distant future (where) things can change if I keep the dream and the spirit of work and my body responds–without a doubt.
“It’s been a long time, so I hope, first of all, to feel again those nerves, that illusion, those fears, those doubts. I expect from myself not to expect anything–to have the ability not to demand of myself what I have demanded of myself throughout my career. I believe I’m in a different moment; in a different situation.
“I have been afraid to announce things because in the end it’s a year without competing and it’s a hip operation. But it’s not the hip that worries me the most; it’s everything else. I think I’m ready and I trust and hope that everything goes well and that it gives me the opportunity to enjoy things on the court.”
Other players gaining direct entry into the Australian Open main draw with protected rankings are Marin Cilic (No. 21), Denis Shapovalov (No. 27), Milos Raonic (No. 33), Soonwoo Kwon (No. 80), Jiri Vesely (No. 94), and Attila Balazs (No. 101).
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