Ten-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal is set to spend New Year’s day in Eastern Australia after confirming his attendance at the Brisbane International.
Nadal, who will return to world No.1 on Monday, is set to play at the tournament for the second year in a row according to The Sunday Mail. The Spaniard made his debut at the event in January, reaching the quarter-finals. Since then, he has won four clay court titles as well as reaching the final of hard-court tournaments in Acapulco and Miami.
Tournament director Geoff Quinlan confirmed that an agreement was made earlier in the week after he contacted Nadal’s management. According to The Courier Mail, tickets for all three of Nadal’s matches in Brisbane this year were sold out.
“Rafa’s manager Carlos Costa was in communication with me on Thursday and said Rafa is thrilled to be coming back. We’ve been talking to his team for quite a while and we’re delighted to have him confirmed.” Quinlan told The Sunday Mail.
“He was such a huge success in Brisbane in 2017. We had four record sessions for attendances, including the men’s final because people were anticipating he’d be in the final.
“The reaction of the crowd was as rapturous as it was because they’d never seen Rafa play previously. He was a huge presence at the tournament, making time for fans and having an open training session.’
So far in his career, Nadal has won 73 ATP titles. The tally is the sixth highest in the history of the men’s game. Despite his success on the tour, the 30-year-old has only managed to win one title so far in his career in Australia. In 2009 he defeated Roger Federer to win the Australian Open.
Currently Nadal’s main focus is on the North American hard-courts and the US Open. He will be seeking his third Flushing Meadows title later this month and will be seeded first in the draw for the first time since 2010.
The Brisbane International, which is categorised as an ATP 250 event, will get underway on January 1st, 2018.
