“On Tuesday I will be tense. Not today. I swear I won’t,” Saying Rafael Nadal before returning to play an official match against one of his coaches, Marc Lopezwhich is more appropriate this Sunday: the man who joined him on the court in his return to professional tennis 347 days later. The Spaniard made it clear at the door of the locker room, before jumping onto the field and accepting the heat of the crowd. Brisbanewho is not nervous about his return to competition because he is doing it in a doubles match which for him should be more of a training session than anything else, a first contact with the public, the atmosphere of the competition and a first touchstone to take a competitive tone for his ‘real’ return to the wheel, his return to Australian Openthe first big one in the course.
Rafael Nadal He returned this Sunday as the partner of Marc López, who has retired from tennis since 2022. Rafa He promoted his return to debut on the doubles table of Brisbane Australians are new Max Purcell (35th in the world in doubles) and Jordan Thompson before his singles return next Tuesday in the same tournament, against an old man known as Dominic Thiem. There, the butterflies in your stomach are probably bigger despite being the first round of a ATP250. This is because it should mark the beginning of something big. Maybe from their ‘last dance’. Or maybe something more gigantic. 2024 could be Rafa’s last year, although that doesn’t close the door on continuing into 2025 if he can once again have fun and compete with anyone to fight for titles. Being the average Rafa after leaving the injuries that plagued him a lot.
No one knows what will happen in the coming months. Even Rafa himself. And now, on that path full of uncertainty, mysterious because of what Rafa himself might discover about his body, his mind and his fight against the impossible, now it’s time to start the first step. That first step was to play a meaningless doubles match with Marc López against a pair with greater ambitions in this draw. The logical thing is to lose. It is also the smallest. So it is.
Rafa Nadal and Marc López lost 6-4 and 6-4 in two sets in a match that lasted 1 hour and 14 minutes. An hour and 14 tennis, that’s all Rafa needed, who was seen smiling to feel again the sensations he was looking forward to all these months. He never stopped loving tennis and continues to feel the passion like the first day. That made him go back and try his hardest despite not having to prove anything to anyone. Rafa is back. The king of the earth. The king of Paris. The Fiera. The gladiator.
Although it began with defeat, the fact of returning to the courts to public applause must be considered the first victory of many. Rafa already knows. Only he knows what it cost him to compete again. That explains the indelible smile that appeared on his face after his defeat was confirmed. He smiled all the way to the net to congratulate his rivals. He kept smiling as he greeted the audience. Nadal played again. He was happy again.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
