Nadal: Defeated Thiem and is fourth in wins in history

THE Rafa Nadal prevailed 7-5, 6-1 over Dominic Thiem in the first round of Brisbane in his return to singles after an injury sidelined him for almost a year.

With this victory, the Spanish tennis player reached 1,069 at the Men’s level, surpassed Ivan Lendl and is only fourth in victories in history. Only Jimmy Connors (1,274), Roger Federer (1,251) and Novak Djokovic (1,088) now have more.

“As you can imagine, today was not a statistic I was familiar withNadal said. “I had enough work just to be focused and get back on the court and remember how to play in a competitive game. There were nerves and doubts before the match. But things went well and I’m excited to be back».

The 22-time Grand Slam champion underwent arthroscopic surgery last June after injuring his left hip flexor during his loss to Mackenzie MacDonald in the second round of the Australian Open in early 2023.

Nadal returned after 347 days of competitive tennis in the new season on Sunday and was defeated in the doubles – where he played with Marc Lopez – by Australians Max Purcell and Jordan Thomson in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4 , after one hour and 14 minutes. “Today is honestly an emotional and important day for me after probably one of the hardest years of my tennis careerNadal said. “I had the opportunity to come back after a year and play in front of an amazing crowd and to play at a very positive level on the first day is something that makes us proud, the team and my family who were there every day last year“, he added and continued: “I’ve missed being healthy and feeling competitive, playing in front of crowds that have been amazing throughout my career here in Australia».