Rafael Nadal’s dream comeback run at Brisbane International thwarted as the Spaniard suffers a hard-fought quarterfinal loss

Rafael Nadal will lock horns with Holger Rune in the semifinal of the Brisbane International.

Rafael Nadal’s dream comeback run at Brisbane International thwarted as the Spaniard suffers a hard-fought quarterfinal loss

Rafael Nadal (Credits: ABC)

Rafael Nadal recently suffered a hard-fought defeat to Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinal of the 2024 Brisbane International. The ‘King of Clay‘ failed to prevail in a hard-hitting contest against the Aussie on his home ground to mark his comeback dominance on the tour.

The Spaniard had been sidelined from the sport for the entire 2023 season after sustaining a nasty hip injury which rendered him unable to make any professional appearances. However, after getting corrective surgery to fix his injury concerns and an extensive rehabilitation period, the former World No. 1 returned to action at Brisbane.

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Nadal and Thompson’s quarterfinal clash witnessed tough competition on both ends, with the duo staying strong from the beginning to the very last point of their encounter. The pair held their end of the fort during their respective service games to equal the score 5-5 in the opening set.

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Despite the chances of a tiebreaker looming over, the former World No. 1 maintained his composure to break the Aussie’s serve and conclude the first set with a 7-5 score.

Similar energy was maintained in the match’s second set, with Rafael Nadal taking the lead with his serve before their rest intervals. Regardless, the 29-year-old was quick on his feet and recovered from match point down to level the match score at one set each.

Subsequently, the Aussie ultimately prevailed owing to his better on-court coverage and concluded the match with a score line that read 5-7, 7-6(8), 6-3 to secure a semifinal spot in the Brisbane event.

The Australian World No. 43 is now scheduled for a face-off against Holger Rune in the event’s semifinal. The Danish is fresh off his quarterfinal thrilling victory over James Duckworth.

Rafael Nadal provides fans with an injury update at Brisbane International

Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal provided tennis fans with an injury update after claiming his second-round victory at the Brisbane International. The Spaniard asserted that his recent hip injury is not hindering with his performance.

Rafael Nadal (Credits: India Express)
Rafael Nadal (Credits: India Express)
The positive thing is, first, the two matches haven't been super long matches. Of course, I had some feelings after the first match. I mean, have been a year without playing with the tension of a real match, so I felt a little bit some muscles tired here and there.
Nadal said.

It is worth noting that the former World No. 1 will commence his Australian Open campaign which starts from January 14. Nadal faced an unfortunate second-round defeat at the hands of Mackenzie McDonald in the tournament’s previous event.

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