Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal, absent from the courts for almost a year with a hip injury, announced Friday that he would return to competition in Brisbane next month ahead of the Australian Open. 

"Hello everyone, after a year away from competition, it's time to come back. It will be in Brisbane the first week of January. I'll see you there," the 22-time Grand Slam winner said in a post on social media.

Former world number one Nadal has not played since his defeat in the second round of the Australian Open last January, a tournament he won in 2009 and 2022.

"I think I don't deserve to end like this," said Nadal, referring to his Melbourne exit last year.

The 37-year-old has undergone surgery twice since and having slumped to 663rd in the world after a year without playing declared in September that the 2024 season was going to be his last. 

Nadal will try to return to the highest level in Australia with the aim of competiting at the French Open which he has won a record 14 times. 

He has been overtaken in the number of Grand Slam tournaments won by Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic, who now has 24 major titles. 

The Spaniard had already experienced a 2021 season undermined by a foot injury, and was eliminated by Djokovic in the semi-final of the French Open.

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