2024 will see two big returns in world tennis as fans will get to witness Naomi Osaka and Rafael Nadal make their respective comebacks. Osaka has been out of action since the 2022 Japan Open. She also welcomed the birth of her first child with rapper boyfriend Cordae.
On the other hand, Nadal has been absent from the ATP Tour since the 2023 Australian Open, where he injured his hip while playing against McDonald Mackenzie in the second round. The injury ruled him out of action for the rest of the season. He will be making his comeback at the Brisbane International.
Speaking of their comebacks, women’s world No. 1 Iga Swiatek revealed that she was ‘curious’ to see if they would be ‘rusty’. Speaking to The National News, she said, “I’m just curious [to see] how they are going to play and if they’re going to be rusty or not but obviously they are both really experienced so I hope they’re going to do well.”
She had a special message for Nadal, and said it from ‘a fan’s perspective’. “From a fan perspective, I’m really happy that they are coming back and I’m going to be able to see their game. Rafa obviously is a huge inspiration for me, so I just hope he’s going to play nicely,” she said.
Meanwhile, she pointed out that Osaka was her direct opponent and they could play against each other. “Naomi, we may play against each other, so it’s pretty funny but I’m happy that she’s back and she could fulfill her other goals and now come back to playing tennis,” she added.
Recently, even Roger Federer’s coach Ivan Ljubicic revealed that Nadal was playing ‘at a very high level’. The Croatian is the current coach of the French Federation, and said that he had a conversation with French player Arthur Fills, who trained with Nadal for a week.
Speaking to La Gazzetta, he said, “Nadal’s return will not be a presence of old glory. Fils, the French tennis player that I follow through the Federation, trained with him this week in Kuwait. He has written to me and told me that he is playing at a very high level. I still expect great things from Nadal.”
