Nadal Makes Long-awaited Comeback in Brisbane Doubles Defeat

Spain's Rafael Nadal (L) and partner Marc Lopez wave after losing their men's doubles match against Australia's Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 31, 2023. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)
Spain's Rafael Nadal (L) and partner Marc Lopez wave after losing their men's doubles match against Australia's Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 31, 2023. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)
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Nadal Makes Long-awaited Comeback in Brisbane Doubles Defeat

Spain's Rafael Nadal (L) and partner Marc Lopez wave after losing their men's doubles match against Australia's Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 31, 2023. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)
Spain's Rafael Nadal (L) and partner Marc Lopez wave after losing their men's doubles match against Australia's Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 31, 2023. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

Rafa Nadal returned to action for the first time since January at the Brisbane International on Sunday, losing his doubles match but overall showing no obvious after-effects of the hip injury that ruined his year.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion, who is gearing up for the Jan. 14-28 Australian Open, sustained the hip problem in his second round loss at Melbourne Park at the start of 2023 and ended his season early after having surgery in June.

Nadal rekindled his partnership with retired veteran Marc Lopez, with whom he won an Olympic gold medal in 2016, for his comeback but the duo lost 6-4 6-4 to Australians Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson at a packed Pat Rafter Arena.

"It's great to see Rafa back," said Thompson. "I've been on the receiving end a couple of times in singles, so it's nice to get him back on a doubles court."

The 37-year-old Nadal was warmly welcomed by fans who held up Spanish flags and supportive messages while the loudest cheers were reserved for his trademark whipped shots and a powerful crosscourt backhand winner in the opening set.

Nadal is likely to get a similar reception in his singles opener on Tuesday against qualifier Dominic Thiem, whom he beat in the 2018 and 2019 French Open finals and holds a 9-6 win-loss record against.

Former women's world number one Naomi Osaka will also make her comeback following maternity break when she meets Tamara Korpatsch on Monday.

The 26-year-old from Japan last competed on the tour in September 2022 and welcomed her first child, daughter Shai, in July.

Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens got her campaign off to a good start as she beat Katerina Siniakova 7-5 6-3 while Camila Giorgi survived a scare to get past Peyton Stearns 5-7 6-2 6-3.

Russian 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva also reached the second round with a 6-2 6-3 win over Diana Shnaider.



Struggling Australia and Saudi Arabia Play a Crucial Asian World Cup Qualifier

Players from the Australian team participate in a training session at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne on November 13 2024, ahead of the 2026 World Cup Asian qualification football match against Saudi Arabia on November 14. (AFP)
Players from the Australian team participate in a training session at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne on November 13 2024, ahead of the 2026 World Cup Asian qualification football match against Saudi Arabia on November 14. (AFP)
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Struggling Australia and Saudi Arabia Play a Crucial Asian World Cup Qualifier

Players from the Australian team participate in a training session at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne on November 13 2024, ahead of the 2026 World Cup Asian qualification football match against Saudi Arabia on November 14. (AFP)
Players from the Australian team participate in a training session at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne on November 13 2024, ahead of the 2026 World Cup Asian qualification football match against Saudi Arabia on November 14. (AFP)

Australia hosts Saudi Arabia in a crucial World Cup qualifier at Melbourne on Thursday while Japan and South Korea can take a big step towards North America in 2026 when the third round of Asian qualifying reaches the halfway stage.

With only the top two teams from each of the three groups of six progressing automatically to the expanded 48-team tournament, Australia and Saudi Arabia both have only five points from four Group C games, five behind leaders Japan.

The sputtering form of the two teams has already resulted in coaching changes since the third round began. Graham Arnold stepped down as Socceroos head coach in September and was replaced by Tony Popovic while Saudi Arabia fired Roberto Mancini in October after a 0-0 draw with Bahrain in Jeddah.

Renard returns to Riyadh

Herve Renard is back in Riyadh to take over the Saudi team for a second spell.

"I believe we can qualify; otherwise, I wouldn’t be here," Renard, who left Riyadh in March 2023 to take over the French women’s national team, told local media. "I know the players well. We’re not in an ideal situation, but it’s far from hopeless. We still have six games remaining, four of them away."

Renard led Saudi Arabia to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, topping a qualification group above Japan and Australia. It then sensationally defeated eventual champion Argentina 2-1 in its opening game in Qatar before losing its next two games and finishing last in its group, failing to qualify for the knockout rounds.

"Many of these players were part of the squad that qualified for the 2022 World Cup," Renard said. "They must draw on that experience, keep their spirit high, and do everything necessary to reach the 2026 World Cup."

Saudi Arabia is hoping that a coaching change can produce the same upturn in results that Popovic delivered for Australia in his first two games in October, with a win over China at home followed by a 1-1 draw in Japan.

Japan favored in two away matches in Indonesia, China

Those were the first points that Japan, which has appeared in every World Cup since 1998, dropped in qualification. The Samurai Blue is expected to beat Indonesia despite playing in front of an expected 78,000 fans in Jakarta, before traveling to China.

"If you look at the FIFA rankings and the games in the World Cup qualifiers so far, you might think that the advantage is with Japan," said coach Hajime Moriyasu. "But we are playing both games away and I think it will be tough."

South Korea to be cautious with Son Heung-min

In Group B, leaders South Korea has recovered from a disappointing opening-game draw with the Palestinian team to win three consecutive games. Victory in Kuwait will see the South Koreans go five or six points clear of third place.

Captain and star Son Heung-min missed the victories over Jordan and Iraq due to a hamstring injury and has been short of minutes for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.

"At this point, I have absolutely zero plans to push him hard," South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo said. "I will figure out ways to use him efficiently. As soon as he joins the team, I will sit down with him and discuss his playing time. It’s really important for us to see a healthy version of Son Heung-min."

Iraq and Jordan are level in second place in Group B — three points behind — and meet in Basra.

In Group A, Iran and Uzbekistan are six points clear of the rest of the group and face respective away games against North Korea and Qatar.