Back with a bang! Nadal downs Thiem in Brisbane

Rafael Nadal laid down an impressive marker for his comeback 2024 season Tuesday at the Brisbane International presented by Evie.

Playing his first competitive match for nearly 12 months, the 92-time tour-level titlist eased past Dominic Thiem 7-5, 6-1 in Australia with a first-round performance that gave an immediate reminder of just what he is capable of. The Spaniard struck the ball cleanly from deep throughout his first victory since he beat Jack Draper in his opening match at the 2023 Australian Open.

“Today is honestly an emotional and important day for me after probably one of the toughest years of my tennis career, without a doubt,” Nadal said in his on-court interview. “I had the chance to come back after a year and play in front of an amazing crowd and play, I think, at a very positive level.

“On the first day, it is something that makes us feel proud. Myself, all the team and family that have been there every single day during the past year.”

Welcome back @RafaelNadal 💪

Nadal back & bringing the heat 🔥 on the forehand #ShotQuality#TennisInsights | @atptour | #BrisbaneInternational pic.twitter.com/RqdbxrGHpB

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) January 2, 2024

After a tough year in which he has battled back from a series of injuries, including a hip issue that required surgery, Nadal’s slick movement and sharp reactions at the net were also notable in his 16th Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Thiem. He edged the former World No. 3 Austrian in a tight first set by converting his fourth set point on return in the 12th game, before racing through the second set for an 89-minute triumph.

“The first set was equal, with both of us serving well and more or less winning on serve,” said Nadal. “I was able to have that break at 6-5, so that makes the difference. Honestly, I know Dominic has gone through some hard times with injuries too, so I’m happy to see him on court and I wish him the very best for the season.”

Nadal made a lightning-fast start on serve inside Pat Rafter Arena, where he was cheered on by his full team, including his father Sebastian, from his player's box. The 37-year-old won his first nine points behind his delivery, but Thiem, who is No. 98 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as he continues his own battle to rediscover his best level, went toe-to-toe with the Spaniard for much of a high-quality first set.

The 12th game ultimately proved a pivotal moment in the match, however, as some loose groundstrokes from Thiem allowed Nadal to carve out the first break points of the match. Although the wild card let slip his first three, he made no mistake with the fourth to move ahead.

From there, Nadal maintained his level to charge to victory after breaking Thiem in the second and sixth games of the second set. He finished with 12 winners, including three aces, and won 90 per cent (28/31) of points behind his first serve in the match.

“The support is super important, especially in the low moments,” said Nadal, when asked about those in his player's box. “I had the chance to receive thousands of messages during this year and having great people next to me every single day makes the difference, without a doubt. I missed being healthy, I missed feeling competitive and playing in front of full crowds like this.”

With his 1069th tour-level victory, Nadal overtook fellow former World No. 1 Ivan Lendl on the all-time leaderboard. Only Jimmy Connors (1274), Roger Federer (1251) and Novak Djokovic (1088) remain ahead of the Spaniard. His opponent as he chases his next match win in Brisbane will be home wild card Jason Kubler, who was level 6-4, 6-7(4) with Aslan Karatsev on Tuesday when the eighth seed was forced to retire from the pair's first-round clash due to an injury to his right knee.

Second seed Grigor Dimitrov’s next opponent will be Daniel Altmaier, after the German edged another Australian, Tu Li, 7-6(5), 7-6(4), while Altmaier’s countryman Yannick Hanfmann will play James Duckworth in the second round after upsetting fifth seed Sebastian Korda 7-5, 6-4. It was Hanfmann’s first win on a hard court against a Top 50 opponent.

Kubler was one of four home favourites to advance to the second round on Tuesday in Brisbane. Qualifier Duckworth beat J.J. Wolf 6-3, 6-4, while Rinky Hijikata and Jordan Thompson both prevailed in all-Australian clashes. Hijikata downed Thanasi Kokkinakis 7-6 (8), 6-2 on his Brisbane debut, while Thompson downed Aleksandar Vukic 6-3, 6-2.

A pair of seeded Argentines fell to qualifiers at the first hurdle in Brisbane. Tomas Machac rallied past seventh seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(1), while Lukas Klein downed Sebastian Baez 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Klein will next play Matteo Arnaldi, who beat Marton Fucsovics 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(7).