After the ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai, the last important commitments of the men’s tennis season will move to Europe, where the last ATP Masters 1000 of the year will be played in Paris, and then the ATP Finals in Turin. Finally the appointment with the Davis Cup in Malaga, where Italy will play the quarterfinals with the Netherlands.
After a brief period of rest for the well-deserved holidays, the tennis players will get to work preparing for the new season and the first major event of the year, the Australian Open 2024, the first Slam which marks the start of competitive activities of the next year.
Craig Tiley, CEO of the Australian Major, revealed some great news on the day of the tournament’s launch, which will surely please fans of the sport. Coinciding with the start of the Australian Open there should be the not yet confirmed return of Rafael Nadal, whose last match was in this very tournament, from which his long ordeal began.
The Spanish champion is warming up and ready to return to the circuit, with Tiley saying: “The 2022 Australian Open champion has worked hard to recover from his injury. He has always given his best in Melbourne and no one can doubt his strength of his competitive spirit. I have remained in contact with his team, he is back on the field training and has the aim of returning to Melbourne in January.”
Not just Nadal: the other champions in Melbourne
But as anticipated, the one relating to Nadal is not the only good news learned this morning from the boss of the Australian Open 2024.
In all likelihood, Nick Kyrgios will also return together with the 14-time Roland Garros champion, whose last and only appearance of the season dates back to the Stuttgart grass, where he was stopped by the Chinese Yibing Wu.
Tiley said: “He is doing his best to return to the court at his best. We all know how much playing the Australian Open means to him, he never fails to bring emotion and passion. His extraordinary tennis, his sense of spectacle, always adds something special to the tournament.”
Joining Nadal and Kyrgios will also be the return of Caroline Wozniacki, Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber, who will once again take to the courts at Melbourne Park after maternity leave.
The Happy Slam CEO said: “We are delighted to welcome back these extraordinary champions, Naomi, Angie and Caroline, who lit up the Australian Open and impressed fans with their athleticism, endurance and sportsmanship. We will welcome them, their families with open arms here in Melbourne and we can’t wait to see what the next chapter of their story brings them. They will find that the landscape has changed somewhat.”