Rafael Nadal makes intriguing comparison to Naomi Osaka and pays tribute to Andy Murray

Kevin Palmer
Rafael Nadal in Brisbane
Rafael Nadal in Brisbane at an event in Brisbane

Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka are making high-profile comebacks at the start of the 2024 tennis season and the Spanish legend has offered a comparison between their respective ambitions.

Nadal and Osaka are playing in Brisbane as they ramp up their preparations ahead of the Australian Open later this month, with the Grand Slam champions creating a big stir in tennis as they explode back onto the tennis scene after lengthy spells away from the court.

While 22-time major champion Nadal is coming back for what he suggests will be his final year in the game after recovering from a hip injury he suffered at last year’s Australian Open, Osaka is back on the WTA Tour after giving birth to her first child.

Osaka made a winning return to tennis as she beat Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch 6-3 7-6 in the first round of the Brisbane International, as she won for the first time as a mother.

Both players have admitted they considered retiring from tennis during their long time away from the court and Nadal understands Osaka’s thoughts.

“Naomi is making a comeback. During her break she said she did have a moment where she contemplated retirement,” Nadal told reporters.

“She’s had to learn to fall back in love with tennis. Was there a moment in the last year where you have thought about that moment & said ‘Is it worth putting my body through this anymore?

“I think Naomi & I are completely different situations. I think Naomi, if I’m not wrong, she said that she lost a bit the love for the game for a while and the passion. Something that never happened to me. So the biggest difference.

“She gets tired or lost a bit of motivation for this game or for this thing. That never happened to me. I had to be away bc my body was not able to keep going.

“If I thought about retirement during that period of time? Of course, yes. I had to went through a lot of things to be back.

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“Of course, in the low moments, it’s 100% human that you put yourself in a position to say; okay, makes sense all the things I have to do to be back at 37 years old, knowing probably you will be back and you will not be healthy enough to compete the way that you wanted to compete.

“Of course, I was asking myself. At some point, I decided to keep going, no? I had the determination to keep going.

“When I have that determination, I know it’s sometimes going to be a painful process in terms of working without knowing how things are going to be. But then I just tried to work day by day without thinking much, just doing the things that I had to do, expect the things go well. Here we are.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen. The only thing is I am happy I’m here in a position to come back again on a professional tour. I’m excited about what can happen.”

Nadal also paid tribute to his long-time rival Andy Murray, who lost his opening match of 2024 against Grigor Dimitrov on New Year’s Day.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Murray has admitted he may consider quitting tennis unless his form improves quickly in this new season and Nadal confirmed he admits the Scot’s determination to fight on.

“He demonstrates an amazing passion and love for the game. After a very tough surgery, he went through, he held the passion and the working spirit to be where he is today,” said Nadal, who practised with Murray in Brisbane.

“When you achieve all the things that Andy achieved for such a long time, and coming back knowing that it will be super difficult to come back to that level of tennis and accept the challenge and accept the situation, it’s something that goes beyond the game.

“It’s a very positive example of passion, it’s a positive example for the kids about how somebody with everything he ever wanted, achieved everything and still held passion for the game.”

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