Rafael Nadal is finally back on tennis courts. The Spanish tennis player made his awaited return at the Brisbane International, where he played against Austrian player Dominic Thiem, defeating him in a singles match by 7-5, 6-1.

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The match marked Nadal’s return to tennis in 349 days. “Today is honestly an emotional and important day for me after probably one of the toughest years of my tennis career,” said Nadal following the match. “I had the chance to come back after a year and play in front of an amazing crowd and play at a very positive level on the first day, [It] is something that makes us feel proud - my team and family who have been there every day in the last year.”

Nadal shared an emotional post on Instagram, where he reminisced about the past year and about the tough work it took to get to this moment and this win. “There’s been a lot of effort and work to come back. Anything could have happened in a day like today after such a long time without playing a professional tennis match. I am happy with the way it all went,” he wrote, sharing some pictures of the match.

“Nothing has changed with regards of what I have been saying lately: This is one step and still there is a long way to go. The first match in almost a year that went well quite honestly, but it’s only a match. Important that I am healthy and stayed healthy throughout the match. And my goal is to keep enjoying!”

Nadal has said this might be his last year

It’s an emotional time for Nadal, who’s contending with multiple decisions. While 2024 marks his return, over the past, Nadal has been discussing retirement and whether this year could be a goodbye of sorts for his professional career. Still, he makes it clear that he doesn’t know the answer, and that things might change depending on how he’s feeling.

“The problem about saying that’s going to be my last season is I can’t predict what’s going on 100 percent in the future,” he said before his match in Brisbane. “That’s why I say ‘probably’. It’s obvious it’s a high percentage that it’s going to be my last time playing here in Australia. But if I am here next year, don’t tell me, ‘You said it was going to be your last season’, because I didn’t say it.”