After Serena and Roger, Could Rafa Nadal Succumb to the Australian Open Curse?

After the tournament director claimed he would make his comeback in January, Rafael Nadal’s endorsement of the Australian Open might backfire. When Roger Federer and Serena Williams did not recover in time in the past, Craig Tiley also announced that they would return to Australia.

After being sidelined for most of the season, Tiley announced that Nadal had set a comeback date. The 37-year-old hasn’t played a match since he suffered a left psoas injury during the Australian Open second round. Later in June, he underwent arthroscopic surgery.

Speaking at the launch of the 2024 Australian Open earlier this week, the tournament director told Today: “We can reveal exclusively here that Rafa will be back. He’s been off for most of the year, and in talking to him over the last few days he confirmed he will be back, which we’re really excited about. That’s awesome.”

Nadal himself spoke out on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Tuesday, denying the claims that his comeback was set in stone. “I am grateful for the Australian Open’s vote of confidence… I am practicing every day and working hard to come back as soon as possible,” the 22-time Grand Slam champion wrote.