Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal expressed uncertainty about his participation in the upcoming Australian Open following his loss to Jordan Thompson on Friday in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International, where he left the court during the match to receive treatment. The Brisbane tournament marked Nadal's return to the courts after nearly a year out due to a thigh injury sustained during his defeat to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of last year's Australian Open.
Nadal, 37, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles, did not compete in any other tournaments last season, underwent surgery in June, and approached the Brisbane event as preparation for the Australian Open, which begins on January 14. After his defeat today with scores of 5-7, 7-6, and 6-3, Nadal hoped to train next week and participate in the Australian Open, stating, "But I am not 100 percent sure about this."
However, Nadal did not want to make excuses or diminish his opponent's achievement. He said, "The important thing now is that I managed to play three matches in Brisbane. My opponent played very well, and he deserves praise. I don't think this is the right time to talk about (the level of pain I felt during the match)."
