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The first Grand Slam match of the year is on the horizon. He had a foot injury that limited him to one tournament over the last half of last season, but he got it under control in December.
It's plenty to talk about. This is the owner of 20 major championships and is one of the most significant figures in the history of tennis. His presence at the Australian Open pre-tournament news conference Saturday was a big deal.
The run-up to the Australian Open has been all about Novak Djokovic and his hopes of defending the title at a vaccination-required competition while not being vaccine against the coronaviruses. When Nadal spoke about his long-time rival's will-he-play-or-won't-he saga, he shrugged his shoulders, exhaled and said, "I'm a little bit tired."
The Australian Open is more important than any player, according to Nadal. If he's playing, good. The Australian Open will be great if he's not playing. That's my point of view.
Nadal has gotten his shots. A total of 97 of the Top 100 in the rankings of the two professional tennis organizations.
"All this could have been avoided, like we've all done, by getting vaccinations, doing all the things we had to do to come here in Australia," said two-time major champion Garbine Muguruza, a 28-year-old from Spain who is the third seed. Everyone knew the rules. You have to follow them. I don't think it's difficult.
The first day of the Australian Open is Monday, where Novak Djokovic and Nadal could both win their 21st Grand Slam trophy.
Everyone else with any interest in tennis or the latest developments related in some way to the Pandemic will wait to see what happens in the court hearing on Sunday on his appeal of a second revocation of his visa by the Australian government.
He could be deported.
It has been on every news outlet over the last couple of weeks. It has received a lot of attention. A lot of people are talking about it, said the fourth seed from Greece, who was the runner-up to the Serbian at the French Open last year. I'm here to talk about tennis. Not enough tennis has been talked about in the last couple of weeks.
Usually, the Australian Open serves as a celebration of a new tennis season.
The players have a chance to rest and prepare for the next season. Depending on whether they played any tune-up matches, they have a clean slate. Some people show up with their playing style. Some people are eager to see how the relationship will work out.
It feels like it's taking away from competitors who just want to start. We're ready to compete. Alex de Minaur, a 22-year-old Australian, said that the Australian Open is his favorite tournament. Tennis is an individual sport, and we've all been here in Australia for a while, getting ready for this tournament. We want to get on with our lives.
There are a lot of story lines and areas of intrigue in Melbourne. This time was going to be different because of the players who are absent, including Serena Williams and Venus Williams.
The return of Nadal to Slam action for the first time since a semifinal loss to Novak Djokovic in Paris in June is a big deal.
Defending Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka's arrival with what she says is a fresh outlook after taking two mental health breaks in 2021, including one that ended her season in September, is also related.
Osaka broke into a full-on grin and joked around with reporters on Saturday, after revealing that she has depression and anxiety.
He's happy to be back on tour. He mentioned his positive attitude and working spirit.
When the topic was about the man, Nadal sounded less excited.
I wish him the best. Even if I don't agree with a lot of things that he did the last couple of weeks, I really respect him.
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