WATCH: Rafael Nadal's gears up for United Cup 2023 with intense practice session
Rafael Nadal has arrived in Australia to kickstart the new season with the United Cup.
The ATP and WTA came together in September to officially announce that starting in 2023, the new mixed-gender team event would replace the ATP Cup in the build-up to the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, the Australian Open. The event, which will see 18 teams fight for the title, will be played from December 29 to January 8 in Brisbane, Perth, and Melbourne.
The official social media Twitter handle of the tournament posted a short video on Wednesday in which World No. 2 Nadal can be seen hitting monstrous groundstrokes during a practice session under the watch of his coaches.
Ready to roll @RafaelNadal 💪🇪🇸
#UnitedCup | @atptour https://t.co/2UjtF3isTt
Apart from the 22-time Grand Slam champion, Team Spain includes the likes of Paula Badosa, Pablo Carreno Busta, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Nuria Parrizas Diaz, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, and David Vega Hernandez. Spain has been drawn into Group D along with Australia and Great Britain.
Nadal will play his first match against Cameron Norrie on December 31 in Sydney. The Mallorcan was initially scheduled to face Nick Kyrgios for his second match on January 2. However, an injury forced the 22nd-ranked Australian to withdraw from the tournament. He will be replaced by Alex de Minaur.
The United Cup will be the only warm-up tournament that the Spaniard will play before beginning his campaign to defend his Australian Open title. The Grand Slam event will be held from January 16-29. After staying out of action for the majority of the second half of 2021, the 36-year-old bounced back in style and became the first man to reach 21 Majors when he beat Daniil Medvedev in an epic-five set final of the 2022 Australian Open.
"Good for tennis and fans" - Rafael Nadal on Novak Djokovic's return to Australia
Rafael Nadal is currently in Sydney to participate in the United Cup. Speaking to the press, he stated that Novak Djokovic's return to Australia was good for the sport. The Spaniard also said that he was hoping to reach his highest level after dismal performances in the last few months.
"Novak is here, good for tennis, good for probably the fans. Let's see, no? The best players on the court always win," he said. "My highest motivation is to try to start well. It's always important for me to start well, for confidence. The last few months haven't been easy for me. The main thing for me now is to recover the positive feelings on the court and be competitive. I hope to. I am ready to make that happen, but let's see."