Craig Tiley praises Rafael Nadal for the love for his fans as he explains the delay in announcing his participation in the 2024 Australian Open 

Rafael Nadal will be returning to action with Brisbane International.

Craig Tiley praises Rafael Nadal for the love for his fans as he explains the delay in announcing his participation in the 2024 Australian Open 

Rafael Nadal, Craig Tiley (Images via NBC Sports, Getty)

Australian Open director Craig Tiley has heaped praise on Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal for the 37-year-old’s love for his fans. Tiley, while revealing the reason behind the delay in the announcement about Nadal’s participation in the 2024 Australian Open said that the 22-time Grand Slam winner is quite considerate of his fans and this is what makes him a great player.

The tournament director claimed that Nadal did not want to let his fans down by jumping the gun and announcing his participation at the year’s first Grand Slam and then pulling out. Tiley praised the Spaniard for his caring nature towards his fans. Tiley then also subtly revealed why it took time to confirm Nadal’s participation at the event. 

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It's fun talking to Rafa, that's why this job is great ... what a beautiful person. He was most concerned that he wasn't going to be ready to play; he didn't want to commit to playing and let his fans down by then having to pull out. 
Craig Tiley said to Tennis Australia in a preview. (H/T: Yahoo Sport)

The Australian Open director further stated:

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He's healthy, he's practicing well, he's playing like Rafa plays and going all out. It took a while to make the announcement simply because he wanted to make sure he was going to be able to come and play.

Rafael Nadal ready to reclaim his throne

Rafael Nadal is coming back on the tour and while his fans are excited there is a bit of murmur in the opposition camps. The 22-time Grand Slam winner is most probably coming back for one last dance and this is the reason it would make this stint more exciting and thrilling.

Rafael Nadal Paris Olympics
Rafael Nadal (Image via Getty)

As the 37-year-old has announced that he will be returning with Brisbane International, the chances of Nadal playing at the 2024 Australian Open are very high. The Spaniard and his fans will be hoping for a 2022-like comeback where Nadal had won the title in Down Under while also claiming his home slam.

However, things are slightly different now. While there was no Novak Djokovic at the 2022 Australian Open, the next edition of the year’s first Grand Slam will have both the players featuring. This means a potential match between the two greats of the game. Both players are aware of the intensity of their opponents and hence it becomes even more interesting.

The Djokovic-Nadal rivalry will come alive again and as the Serbian has pipped his Spanish counterpart in terms of most Grand Slam titles, Nadal would want to reclaim his throne.

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