Nadal returned to his first high-level match, taking on the former US Open champion, and his debut attracted a lot of attention
After missing 11 months due to injury, Nadal announced his first appearance since his return on December 31. Nadal's opponent for his first match has been finalized, his first match will be played in Brisbane, and the first match will be against Thiem, a former US tennis champion, for his first match.
Nadal was injured in the second round of the Australian Open against McDonald and missed the 2023 season due to injury. After a surgical operation, Nadal will face another promoted player, who has already returned to action in Brisbane. After two qualifiers, Thiem is in the final, where he will face Nadal.
Thiem is now ranked 98th in the world and has plummeted in the past two years due to injury. The red clay prince, in his world ranking, is third. He has won one Grand Slam trophy and three Grand Slam runners-up, both of which went to Nadal for second place.
There have been 15 meetings between Nadal and Thiem, with Nadal winning nine of the 15 games and Thiem six. The two players have faced each other on hard courts three times, with Nadal winning one and losing two. In the last two matches between the two, Thiem has won, and in the last four games, Nadal has only lost three of them.
On February 2, Beijing local time, the Grand Slam match between Nadal and Thiem is about to begin. We're hoping for Nadal to get off to a good start and Thiem to be as good as he deserves.