Rafael Nadal will travel to Kuwait during the first half of December for a training block at his academy there, after which he will head to Australia for the start of the 2024 season. This is according to reports by Spanish media.
Nadal is expected to play an ATP 250 as a warmup tournament prior to the Australian Open. Brisbane (December 31-January 7) probably makes the most sense, as the only other ATP 250 event on the opening-week schedule is in Hong Kong (there is also the United Cup in Perth and Sydney). In the second week of 2024, ATP 250s are in Adelaide and Auckland.
The Rafa Nadal Academy Kuwait opened in February of 2020, right before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nadal is preparing to come back from almost a year-long absence from tennis. The 22-time Grand Slam champion has not played since the 2023 Australian Open, where–plagued by a hip problem–he lost to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round. Unable to return without surgery, Nadal underwent a hip procedure in early June.
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