"I had to change everything" - Rafael Nadal calls time violation at "humid" Brisbane International "strange"; explains his side of the incident

Rafael Nadal is back on the ATP Tour and firing on all cylinders at the 2024 Brisbane International.

The Spaniard is competing in his first tournament since January 2023, as he had to remain on the sidelines due to a string of injuries. In his comeback in Brisbane, he has been on a roll so far, defeating Dominic Thiem in the first round and Jason Kubler 6-1, 6-2 in the Round of 16 on Thursday (January 4).

During the loss against Kubler, Nadal received a time violation warning after he came back a few seconds late from a toilet break. The former World No. 1 was quick to clarify the reasons for his delay, however, explaining that Brisbane's humidity forced him to change his entire outfit.

In his post-match interview, Rafael Nadal was asked what resulted in the time violation warning during the match.

Nadal responded in a light-hearted manner that it was "strange," especially considering the time he had. He explained that he had to change every piece of his clothing during the break due to how humid the weather was.

"I think something was strange because I knew I had 5 minutes. Honestly, Brisbane is very humid. I had to change everything, every piece (laughs); it takes a while,” he said.

The 37-year-old hilariously added that he wasn't sure if his time was up, and that he was going to improve on his time management in 2024.

“And honestly, on the walkie-talkie, they were calling me, telling me 1 minute, two minutes, and I came out at the right time. But, probably, I don't know if the guy who was with me there said I was a few seconds later to the umpire than I was," he said.

"The umpire told me 4 seconds later. I didn't know if it was me; I don't think so, but something happened in that period of time. But I am slow; I know that. But I am going to keep trying to improve in 2024," he added.

Rafael Nadal set to face Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International

2024 Brisbane International: Day 5

After his victory over Jason Kubler, Rafael Nadal is now set to face Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Brisbane International. Thompson is currently ranked World No. 58, and during the 2023 season, he defeated a few big names like Gaël Monfils, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Adrian Mannarino, and Alexander Zverev.

Nadal and Jordan Thompson have faced off twice before on the ATP Tour. The first encounter was at the 2020 Paris Masters, and the second was at the 2022 French Open, with the Spaniard emerging victorious in both matches.