CEO of Australian Open certain Rafael Nadal will participate in the competition

By Maggie On Nov 23, 2023

Rafael Nadal has not played since losing to Mackenzie McDonald in the Melbourne major’s second round last year, when he suffered a tear in his psoas muscle. Australian Open Chief Executive Craig Tiley has stated that he is “certain” that Nadal will attend the tournament the following year, but he appears less certain about Nick Kyrgios.

CEO of Australian Open certain Rafael Nadal will participate in the competition. Following his arthroscopic procedure back in June, Rafael Nadal has been concentrating on getting well in preparation for what he has acknowledged may be his last season of play next year.

And last month, Nadal—who is currently ranked No. 662—told the ATP Tour that his training has intensified, saying, “I’m well, training, and happy.” I’m living a nice life right now.

I had no idea if I would ever play tennis again, but I now have a sincere belief that I will. Though I’m still not ready to declare when, I’m making good progress because I can train for longer periods of time.

Despite his hasty declaration, Tiley has now informed Reuters News that he has been in frequent contact with Rafael Nadal and is extremely confident. “Rafa has been training, I follow him closely, probably every day because he’s a massive drawcard for us,” Tiley said.

“It’s clear he plans to play; he wants to play. Everything hinges on how he arrives. Hopefully, we have some precise confirmation of that within the next week or two. Rafa will undoubtedly be present because he won’t want to pass up the chance to do what he did a few years ago.

Kyrgios is another player who has only participated in one competitive game and has missed the most of the 2023 season due to injuries.

The Australian had knee surgery in January and tore a wrist ligament before Wimbledon; as a result, he completely dropped out of the ATP rankings.

While acknowledging that Kyrgios is preparing to make a comeback at the Australian Open, Tiley hinted that the Wimbledon champion from 2022 might be attending the competition for other purposes.

We’ve spoken with Nick, and it’s clear that he wants to do all in his power to give himself the best opportunity to play in January, according to Tiley.

“Getting Nick to play will be great, whether he’s playing or not,” he continued. “Nick will be here in January.” However, we must accept things as they arise and he must ensure that he looks after his health.

It’s unknown if Kyrgios will continue to commentate for Tennis Channel at the Australian Open, which gets underway on Sunday, January 14. Kyrgios just started doing so at the ATP Finals.