Rafael Nadal practices with fellow veteran Richard Gasquet at his academy ahead of 2024 comeback
Rafael Nadal is well on his way to making his comeback on the ATP Tour and has been undergoing intense training at his academy in Manacor, Spain.
Nadal last played on the professional level at the 2023 Australian Open. He lost to Mackenzie MacDonald in the second round after sustaining a hip strain mid-match. Recovering from that injury has kept the Spaniard out of action for nearly 11 months and has seen him drop out of the top 500 in the ATP rankings. He is currently the World No. 668.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion is finally set to come back on the ATP Tour in 2024 and will be playing the Brisbane International via a wildcard. The ATP 250 tournament will begin on December 31, 2023, with Holger Rune and Grigor Dimitrov as the top two seeds.
Rafael Nadal began practicing in October and recently had a hitting session with another veteran of the ATP Tour and longtime rival, Richard Gasquet. The 37-year-old Frenchman has been utilizing the facility at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy to train ahead of the 2024 season.
Richard Gasquet was also seen practicing with Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy ahead of his 23rd season of the ATP Tour.
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal was in Kuwait last week and trained with young Frenchman Arthur Fils at his academy in Al Zahra, Kuwait. The Spaniard showed glimpses of his former self with monstrous forehands and good movement on the court.
A look into Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet's head-to-head record
Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet have faced each other on the ATP Tour 18 times. Their first meeting was at the 2004 Estoril Open in Portugal. The Spaniard defeated the Frenchman 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in the second round.
Since then, the Mallorcan has defeated Gasquet in 17 consecutive matches. Their biggest matchup came at the 2013 US Open, where Gasquet was defeated 6-4, 7-6(1), 6-2. The two last played each other in the third round of the US Open last year. The No. 2 seed won the contest 6-0, 6-1, 7-5.
Richard Gasquet played on the 2023 ATP Tour without any disruption but struggled with consistency. He won his 16th tour-level title at the 2023 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. However, he could not carry on that good form in further tournaments. His next best performances were a couple of quarterfinal appearances at the BOSS Open in Stuttgart and the Winston-Salem Open.