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Updated December 19th, 2021 at 19:16 IST

Rafael Nadal unsure of playing in Australian Open amid comeback after 4-month injury

Rafael Nadal returned to action after a four-month injury hiatus and expressed his thoughts on playing the Australian Open 2022 after losing both his matches.

Rafael Nadal
(Image: AP) | Image:self
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Ace Tennis player from Spain, Rafael Nadal played his first match in more than four months on Friday, after he lost to Andy Murray in straight sets at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi. Following his 6-3, 7-5, loss to Murray while defending the title he won in 2019, Nadal went on to lose against Denis Shapovalov 6-7, 6-3, 10-6, in the battle for the third place. The 20-time Grand Slam winner is listed for the upcoming Australian Open 2022, however, after defeats in his return, Nadal could not confirm his trip to Australia, citing the need for discussions with his team. 

As per a report by Tennis World USA, expressing his views on the Australian Open, Nadal said, “I need to speak with my team, and I can not guarantee anything about my Australia trip. The plan is to go there and try my best, but I need to go back and see how the body feels after these couple of days in Abu Dhabi. I have some time to make this decision, so let's see. I will take it day by day. At this moment of my career and after everything I went through, I need to think wisely about every next step”.

Rafael Nadal's thoughts after losing to Andy Murray-

Meanwhile, as per a report by AP, following his loss to Murray in his comeback match on Friday, Nadal said, "I know it’s going to be super difficult for me. The amount of hours on court at the competitive level before such a tough and demanding tournament like Australia will be not much. But the main thing is still always the same — is to be healthy. If I am healthy, I still have the interior fire to keep going and to fight for my goals".

Rafael Nadal's chronic foot injury-

Nadal has been out of action owing to his chronic foot injury, that he suffered during the Roland Garros semi-final in Washington. He then skipped the Wimbledon, Tokyo Olympics 2020, and the US Open and underwent minor surgery in Barcelona in order to continue his recovery. He decided to play in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, a tournament that he has won five times in the past to test his level and gather information before taking his next steps. He is also scheduled to compete at the ATP 250 event scheduled to take place in the opening week of 2022 in Melbourne.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)

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Published December 19th, 2021 at 19:16 IST

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