Rafael Nadal downs Dominic Thiem to mark tennis return

Rafael Nadal returned to action in style with a dominating straight sets win over Dominic Thiem to advance to the second round of the Brisbane International. 

Despite almost 12 months off the court as a result of a hip injury which required surgery, Nadal wasted no time in delivering his trademark forehands, eventually easing past his opponent with a 7-5, 6-1 win after an hour and 29 minutes. The result marked the Spaniard's first victory since defeating Jack Draper in the first round of the 2023 Australian Open and he admitted afterwards that the past year has been one of the ‘toughest' of his career.

'Today is honestly an emotional and important day for me after probably one of the toughest years of my tennis career, without a doubt," Nadal said during his on-court interview. "I had the chance to come back after a year and play in front of an amazing crowd and play, I think, at a very positive level. "On the first day, it is something that makes us feel proud. Myself, all the team and family that have been there every single day during the past year.''

Despite an evenly matched first set which saw Nadal need four set points to close it out, the 22-time Grand Slam champion struck early in the second, quickly closing out the match to improve to 10-6 in the pair's ATP Lexus Head2Head series. ‘'The first set was equal, with both of us serving well and more or less winning on serve," Nadal said. "I was able to have that break at 6-5, so that makes the difference. ‘'Honestly, I know Dominic has gone through some hard times with injuries too, so I'm happy to see him on court and I wish him the very best for the season.'' Reflecting on his return, Nadal revealed that he has missed feeling healthy enough to compete. ‘'The support is super important, especially in the low moments," Nadal said.

"I had the chance to receive thousands of messages during this year and having great people next to me every single day makes the difference, without a doubt. ‘'I missed being healthy, I missed feeling competitive and playing in front of full crowds like this.'' Next up for Nadal is a meeting with world No. 102 and home favourite Jason Kubler on Thursday.