Rafael Nadal finally made his much-anticipated return to the tennis court at the Brisbane Open. The Spaniard partnered Marc Lopez in the men's doubles but lost to Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson 6-4, 6-4. This was Nadal's first competitive match in 347 days.

3 things you need to know

• Rafael Nadal had a hip[ injury at the Australian Open
• The 37-year-old has had his struggle with injuries
• Nadal currently has 22 grand slam titles

Rafael Nadal suffered an injury at the Australian Open

Nadal had been battling a hip injury and he only sustained 36 hours at the Australian Open in January. Since then Nadal underwent surgery and went on to miss the entire 2023 which also is the longest injury haul in his career. He skipped Wimbledon and the French Open which happens to be his stomping ground and reports of his potential retirement also hovered in the air for a long time.

Also Read: Venomous Snake interrupts Dominic Thiem match at Brisbane International tournament

The 22-time Grand Slam winner showed glimpses of his brilliance and will now seek redemption as he seems to have freshened up his intent.

Rafael Nadal opened up on his retirement 

Nadal revealed he did think about hanging up his boots during his injury layoff. "If I thought about retirement during that period of time, of course, yes. I went through a lot of things [that were] pretty bad.  "I did not miss the competition, because all this time my body was not ready to compete. What I missed was to be healthy; to wake up and not have pain.

"At some point I decided to keep going. Then I just began working day by day without thinking much and doing the things I have to do. It's impossible to think about winning tournaments today. What's really possible is to enjoy the comeback. I don't expect much -- one year without being on the court."

The 37 year old will now face Dominic Thiem in the singles at the Brisbane Open.