In Pictures: When Rafael Nadal held a koala ahead of competing at the Brisbane International

Rafael Nadal competed at the Brisbane International for the first time in 2017 and held a koala in his arms at the time.

The Spaniard started his 2017 season at the ATP 250 event after injuries affected him the previous year. In 2016, he finished with 39 wins out of 53 matches, winning the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open.

Nadal arrived in Brisbane and cuddled a koala during the second day of the tournament.

Rafael Nadal posing with a koala in Brisbane

Also present with the King of Clay at the time was Jackie Trad, who was the Deputy Premier of Queensland back then.

Rafael Nadal and Jackie Trad with a koala

The Spaniard with a koala during the 2017 Brisbane International

Rafael Nadal made just one appearance at the Brisbane International

Rafael Nadal during the 2022 Australian Open

Rafael Nadal's appearance at the 2017 Brisbane International has been his only one so far.

The Spaniard entered the ATP 250 tournament as the fifth seed and faced Alexander Dolgopolov in the opening round. He beat the Ukrainian 6-3, 6-3 to reach the Round of 16 where his opponent was Mischa Zverev.

Nadal made easy work of the German, defeating him 6-1, 6-1 to set up a quarterfinal clash against top seed Milos Raonic. The then 30-year-old started the match well and won the first set 6-4. However, Raonic bounced back and took the next two sets 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semifinals where he was beaten by eventual champion Grigor Dimitrov.

The Spaniard was also scheduled to compete in the 2019 edition of the Brisbane International but withdrew from the tournament due to a thigh injury.

"As I say the other day, I feel myself good, but after a long period of time without competing, I felt a little bit the leg, the tightening in Abu Dhabi the first match. That's why I didn't play the second. So I came here. I did an MRI, and it shows a very small strain on the left thigh, but it's there. And my feelings are not bad," the King of Clay said at a press conference.

After missing the Brisbane International, Nadal competed at the Australian Open as the second seed. He reached the final of the tournament thanks to straight-set wins over James Duckworth, Matthew Ebden, Alex de Minaur, Tomas Berdych, Frances Tiafoe and Stefanos Tsitsipas. He faced Novak Djokovic in the title clash and lost 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.

The Spaniard is set to make his second appearance at the Brisbane International in 2024. This will be his first tournament since the 2023 Australian Open.