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Rafael Nadal will be the defending champion at the 2023 Australian Open, and the Spaniard's outfit for the tournament has been revealed to fans. Nadal, who won the Melbourne Major last year clad in purple and white, will be donning an orange shirt Down Under this time around, with a block pattern similar to all the Nike outfits he wore in 2022.
The shorts stay the same white color, partnered with a light blue jacket. The shoes are also in a similar shade of blue, with a brilliant orange swoosh adding a tinge of color.
As usual, the 22-time Grand Slam champion will don the Nike logo on the left side of his shirt and shorts and his iconic Raging Bull motif on the right side. Meanwhile, for the rest of the summer season, the 36-year-old is expected to don a new crew design, sporting a light shade of beige and white on top and dark blue trousers to go with it.
"I'm not at that point" - Rafael Nadal on talks of retirement ahead of the 2023 season
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal has made it exceedingly clear that he is not considering any thoughts of retirement at the moment, a speculation that gained momentum in 2022 after several injury scares across the year.
Speaking in a recent interview, the former World No. 1 revealed that he was working hard to retain full fitness ahead of the new season and that while his retirement was inevitable, it was not something he thought about on the regular.
"I'm still a pro-athlete and I wish it lasts. I put effort so that it lasts as much as possible. Retirement starts the day you start as there's one day less to reach it. But I'm not at that point, I work every day with the right energy to not be at that point yet. It will come though," Nadal said.
The World No. 2, despite winning two Grand Slams this year, had a rather disappointing end to the season, making early exits at the US Open and the Paris Masters. Although he qualified for the year-end ATP Finals, he failed to get out of the round robin stage, falling to Taylor Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
At one point, the 22-time Grand Slam champion had a shot at the World No. 1 spot, but could only finish the year at World No. 2 due to his poor run of form in the closing stages.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
