“Highly motivated,” Nadal is ready for the challenge posed by Djokovic in Australia

A person who is “extremely motivated” The much-anticipated return of Rafael Nadal’s opponent Novak Djokovic to the Australian Open was hailed by Nadal as “excellent for tennis” on Wednesday. However, Nadal brushed off rumours that this may be his last appearance at the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.

The Spanish superstar, who just gave birth a few months ago, will kick off his new season on Thursday at the United Cup, a brand-new tournament that will include mixed-team competition and will take place in Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth.

This will serve as a good warm-up for him as he prepares to defend his championship at the Australian Open, which will take place at Melbourne Park the following month. This year, he won the tournament by beating Daniil Medvedev of Russia in five sets.

This triumph was achieved despite the fact that Novak Djokovic, the player’s archrival and a nine-time champion of the Australian Open, was imprisoned and deported before to the competition for refusing to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Since then, Australia has done away with its requirement that travellers provide confirmation that they have been vaccinated against the Covid virus. Since being kicked out of the nation, the Serb returned there on Tuesday for the very first time since being expelled.

Nadal, who has a record men’s 22 Grand Slam wins, remarked that he was glad to see his superstar opponent Djokovic return.

In Sydney, the number two player in the world had this to say about Novak Djokovic’s presence: “Novak is here, good for tennis, good for maybe the fans.” “Let’s see, no? The game is always won by the best players.”

Starting on Sunday, the player now ranked fifth in the world, Novak Djokovic, will compete in the Adelaide International in an effort to win an amazing tenth championship at Melbourne Park.

This year, Nadal won the French Open to follow up his victory in the Australian Open. Despite having to quit from the semi-finals of Wimbledon in July due to an abdominal tear, Nadal was still able to win the French Open.

Despite the fact that he had a less-than-stellar performance in the second half of the year, Rafael Nadal stated that he was eager to get back on the court. His first match at the United Cup will be against Cameron Norrie, who is ranked 14th in the world, and then he will face Nick Kyrgios, who is ranked first in Australia.

“The strongest incentive to work on getting off to a good start. It’s crucial for me to get off to a good start, both for my confidence and my performance “he remarked.

“The few months that have just passed have not been simple for me. The most important thing for me right now is to go back to having good vibes on the court and being competitive. I certainly do. I am prepared to make it happen, but first, let’s examine the situation.”

At 2004, Nadal participated in the Australian Open for the first time. Due to his injury history and the fact that he is now a parent, many are curious as to whether or not this will be his last journey to Australia.

“I mean, when you reach the age of 36, you essentially have no idea when the next one will be your final one. It’s glaringly clear, but I’d rather not discuss it right now since I’m not in the right frame of mind for it.

“My only objective right now is to perform at the greatest level I possibly can and open up opportunities for myself to continue being competitive and to contend for whatever may come my way. That is the objective I have currently.