Rafa Nadal has already announced the date and place of his return to official competition: it will be the first week of January at the ATP 250. Almost a year after her last official match, against Mackenzie McDonald, in the second round of the last Australian Open, the Spaniard will return to the courts already recovered from his physical problems.
With this announcement, it is assumed that Nadal, who has been training normally since October, will be present at the next Australian Open, which will be held from January 14 to 28.
The Spaniard underwent hip surgery on June 2, precisely one day before his 37th birthday, and since then hypotheses have been made about the exact date of his return. Currently ranked 662nd in the ATP rankings, he will most likely receive an invitation to play the Australian Open, but, depending on the draw, he could face players such as Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz in the early rounds.