Rafael Nadal makes special appearance at Queen Street Mall in Brisbane, thronged by 'lot of happy fans'

Rafael Nadal was thronged by a sea of 'happy fans' as he made an appearance at Queen Street Mall in Brisbane ahead of his much-awaited return to action at the Brisbane International.

Following nearly a year-long hiatus due to a hip injury - which necessitated surgery - the 37-year-old is returning to competitive tennis at the ATP 250 and WTA 500 combined event.

Since injuring his hip in his second-round Australian Open loss to Mackenzie Donald earlier this year, Nadal faced numerous setbacks in his recovery. However, he's now finally ready for what's likely his final season on Tour.

Having landed in Brisbane earlier this week, Nadal hit the practice courts and recently met fans at the busy Queen Street Mall in Brisbane. The Brisbane International shared pictures and videos of the Spaniard visiting the area, watched on by a sea of 'happy' fans. The Spaniard later posed for a photograph.

The draw for the ATP 250 event takes place on Saturday, December 30. Nadal, ranked 672nd in the rankings, has received a wildcard to compete in the main draw.

It's Rafael Nadal's second appearance in Brisbane, having made it to the quarterfinals on his competition debut in 2017 before losing to Milos Raonic. The ATP 250 tournament itself is returning to the Tour for the first time since 2019.

---

What Novak Djokovic has said about Rafael Nadal's Brisbane return

Novak Djokovic

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic reckons Rafael Nadal has not returned to Tour to just turn up. According to the Serb, Nadal - considering the champion player he is - intends to win titles, especially a Grand Slam.

Djokovic - who shares a storied rivalry with Nadal - expects his arch-rival to go deep in the tournaments he enters.

"I always expect him (Nadal) to play at his best, to be honest," said Djokovic (as per BBC). "Many times they've signed him out, they've done that with me as well. But we've proved them wrong. He's not a kind of a player that will come back to the tour just to play - let's say - on a medium level, play a few matches.

"He wants to win titles. He wants to be the best. Tat's why he is who he is: a legend of our sport. I'm sure that his training and preparation is done with an intention to win a Grand Slam."

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have clashed a record 59 times on Tour, with the Serb narrowly ahead 30-29.