Sunday 22 / December / 2024
Melbourne: Rafael Nadal has arrived in Melbourne ahead of the season's first Grand Slam, Australian Open, the Spaniard revealed on Friday.
The 2009 Australian Open champion tweeted a photo of himself on an empty court at Melbourne Park with the caption "Don't tell anyone... ... here I am." Former world number one Rafael Nadal had recently tested positive for COVID-19. The twenty-time Grand Slam champion Spaniard who returned to action at the World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi in December tested positive for virus upon his arrival in Spain.
Rafa's coach Carlos Moya and many other players who participated in the Abu Dhabi event also tested positive including Andrey Rublev, Denis Shapovalov, Olympic tennis champion Belinda Bencic and Tunisian Ons Jabeur.
Nadal is slated to feature at an ATP 250 in Melbourne that will begin on January 4. He has not competed in an ATP tournament since this year's Citi Open, where he lost against Lloyd Harris in the Round of 16. The 20 times Grand Slam champion is currently No. 6 in the ATP Rankings.
The Australian Open begins on January 17 in Melbourne.
