"That shot isn't saying Rafael Nadal's going to win everything" - Serena Williams' ex-coach tempers expectations amid Spaniard's Brisbane comeback

Former doubles World No. 1 Rennae Stubbs has tried to calm the excitement surrounding Rafael Nadal's strong comeback.

After staying on the sidelines for almost the entirety of the 2023 season, Nadal returned to action at the ongoing Brisbane International. In his first match, he beat 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem 7-5, 6-1.

On Thursday, January 4, Nadal locked horns with Australia’s Jason Kubler in the Round of 16. The Spaniard was rarely troubled, registering a 6-1, 6-2 win in just 83 minutes to reach the quarterfinals.

The highlight of the match was a stunning backhand smash close to the net that displayed his agility and timing. Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim took to social media to share a video of the same and claimed that despite it being just his second match on his comeback, Nadal might be back to his best.

Rennae Stubbs, who coached Serena Williams in her final weeks on the WTA tour, responded that Nadal has been playing well and the shot in question looked good on the eye, but it was not difficult to execute.

"Yes, it’s early….but Nadal has quickly gone from question mark to exclamation point," Wertheim said.

"He is playing great but this shot is not that hard. It looks amazing but for those of us that can hit this shot, it’s not that hard," Stubbs responded.

One social media user then stated that Stubbs might get into trouble with Nadal's fans for that statement. However, she responded that while the former World No. 1 has been playing well, that shot wasn't any indication that he would win multiple titles this year.

"Nope. Just stating some facts and to let people know, he looks great and it’s awesome he’s back but that shot isn’t saying omg he’s going to win everything now. Just want people to calm the farm on it. I hope he does but that shot isn’t that hard to hit," she said.

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Rafael Nadal: "For me, every day that I have the chance to play is great news, so I’m just happy for that"

Rafael Nadal is a 22-time Grand Slam champion.

After his straight-sets win against Jason Kubler, Rafael Nadal stated in his on-court interview that it was a tactical decision to be aggressive from the baseline against the Australian.

“I think I started the match playing very well, with a very good determination. I saw videos of Jason before the match and I saw him playing very solidly from the baseline, so I came on court and tried to be aggressive with my shots from the baseline,” he said.

“It worked very well. I think it was a very positive match for me and the chance to play again tomorrow means a lot to me. Two victories after a long time being outside of the professional Tour is something that makes me feel good,” he added.

The Spaniard also expressed his happiness at returning to action after being on the sidelines for almost all of 2023.

“I need matches, I need health, I need to keep practising well and of course the past two matches here help. Of course, victories and hours spent on court help. For me, every day that I have the chance to play is great news, so I’m just happy for that, happy that I came back after a long time and feel competitive. Let’s see how far I can go,” he said.

Nadal will take on World No. 55 Jordan Thompson for a place in the Brisbane International semifinals.