Rafael Nadal Says He's 'Working Hard' to Return from Injury for 2024 Australian Open

Legendary tennis star Rafael Nadal said Wednesday that he is making an effort to be ready to play in the 2024 Australian Open in January.

Earlier Wednesday, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley appeared on Nine Network's Today Show (h/t Eurosport) and said Nadal told him he would be back from injury in time to play in the 2024 Aussie Open:

"We can reveal exclusively here that Rafa will be back. He's been off for most of the year, and in talking to him over the last few days, he confirmed he will be back, which we're really excited about. That's awesome.

"He's not going to come into the event unless he thinks he can win it. He's not going to just show up to play, he's going to show up to win."

Nadal took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday, and while he stopped short of confirming that he will play in the Australian Open, he noted that he is "working hard" to make it happen:

Rafa has missed nearly all of 2023, as he hasn't played since falling to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open back in January.

Nadal has been dealing with a hip injury that caused him to withdraw from the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. As a result, Nadal went a full season without winning a Grand Slam title for just the second time in the past seven years.

The lengthy absence has knocked Nadal all the way down to No. 240 in the ATP rankings, marking the first time he has fallen outside the top 100 since 2003, and the first time he has dropped out of the top 10 since 2005.

That means the 37-year-old veteran will have a ton of work to do when he returns if he wants to become a top-ranked player again.

The Spanish star is not far removed from playing elite tennis, as he won the 2022 Australian Open and French Open, giving him 22 career Grand Slam singles titles.

Novak Djokovic has since surpassed him for the most career Grand Slam singles titles for men's players with 24, but Nadal remains one of the best to ever do it.

While it is unclear how realistic it would be for Nadal to contend for the 2024 Aussie Open title given how long he has been out, his return would bring a great deal of star power and excitement to the tournament.