Rafael Nadal puts on fierce display to crush Dominic Thiem; earns first win after year-long injury hiatus in 1R of Brisbane International 2024

Rafael Nadal recorded his first ATP tour victory in nearly a year on Tuesday (January 2) as he defeated Dominic Thiem 7-5, 6-1 to reach the Round of 16 at the 2024 Brisbane International.

Nadal had last played a professional tennis match at last year's Australian Open, where he lost in the second round. The Spaniard later called the curtains on his 2023 season due to a hip injury.

Thiem, on his part, has struggled to get match wins under his belt since a career-threatening injury in 2021. With the Austrian being ranked 98th in the world, he had to qualify for the main draw in Brisbane.

The blockbuster clash between Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem began as expected, with very little to separate the two players in terms of shotmaking. Both of them held their serve with relative ease for the first 11 games, bringing the score to 6-5.

The Spaniard drew first blood in the next game though, as Thiem coughed up some costly errors to drop the opening set 7-5. The 22-time Major winner refused to take his foot off the gas at the beginning of the second set, breaking his younger opponent once again to lead 2-0.

After that, it was one-way traffic as Nadal dominated the former World No. 3 in their baseline exchanges. He broke Thiem once again in the sixth game of the second set, before serving out a 7-5, 6-1 victory in one hour and 30 minutes.

With this victory, the Spaniard extended his lead to 10-6 in his head-to-head record against the Austrian. He also exacted revenge for his last two defeats to the former US Open winner at the 2020 Australian Open and the 2020 ATP Finals.

Rafael Nadal to face Jason Kubler in the second round of Brisbane International 2024

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal will be keen on winning his first-ever title at the Brisbane International. The Spaniard has only participated at the ATP 250 tournament once in his career before 2024. He reached the last four of the event in 2016, losing to Milos Raonic despite having led by a set.

The former World No. 1 will next face local favorite Jason Kubler for a place in the quarterfinals in Brisbane. Although the 37-year-old is yet to play against the World No. 102 on the ATP tour, he will be wary of his opponent's playing style.

Kubler is a right-handed player and possesses some fast groundstrokes. The 30-year-old also likes taking the ball early, using his timing and athleticism to run circles around his opponents. Moreover, the Aussie has good footspeed from the back of the court, making him a formidable opponent.

Having said that, Nadal hit some clean forehands during his victory over Thiem. He will most likely be well-prepared for the challenge that Kubler has in store for him in Brisbane.