After clashing in Grand Slam finals, comeback-bound Nadal to face qualifier Thiem in Brisbane first round

Nadal leads the head-to-head between the pair by 9-6 with their last match coming at the ATP Finals in 2020

Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem at Roland-Garros 2019 Image Credit: Virginie Bouyer / Panoramic

December 31, 2023

Rafael Nadal‘s first match after a almost a year on the sidelines due to injuries will come against a former Grand Slam champion and someone he is very familiar with – Austria’s Dominic Thiem.

Nadal, using a wild card to enter the ATP Brisbane International, was drawn to face a qualifier in the first round and the draw gods threw Thiem into his bracket.

The Austrian, who won the 2020 US Open and peaked at No 3 in the rankings, has been working on his own comeback over the past year and a half and is now ranked just inside the top 100 at No 98.

The 30-year-old came from a set down to beat Giulio Zeppieri 3-6, 6-4, 6-6 on Sunday in the Brisbane qualifying event to book his spot in the main draw. This came after coming back from a 6-2, 5-3 (40-0) down to beat James Mccabe 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 on Saturday.

Nadal and Thiem, who practiced together last week in Brisbane, have met 15 times previously on the tour, with the Spaniard leading their series 9-6. Their last clash came at the 2020 ATP Finals, which Thiem won in two tiebreak sets.

Thiem has won two of their three hardcourt encounters whereas Nadal has won five of their six meetings at the Grand Slams.

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