Rafa Nadal and Nick Kyrgios in major announcement for 2024 Australian Open

Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley has confirmed the news we've all been waiting for - revealing Rafa Nadal will be playing at the Australian Open in January. Nadal hasn't played on the ATP Tour since the 2023 Australian Open, meaning it will be a full 12 months out when he returns to Melbourne Park.

The 37-year-old suffered a hip injury at this year's Australian Open, which has kept him out of action ever since. The 22-time grand slam champion previously revealed that 2024 will be his last year in professional tennis, but there were concerns that he wouldn't be ready in time for the first grand slam of the year.

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On Wednesday morning, Tiley confirmed that Nadal will make the trip to Australia and play at Melbourne Park. "The return of some of the greats, and those champions who have been off for a couple of years," Tiley said on Channel 9's 'Today' show. "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."

Tiley also said he's confident Nick Kyrgios will be playing. The Australian has only played one match at ATP level this year due to knee and wrist injuries.

He withdrew from the Australian Open on the eve of the tournament, and aborted his plans for a return at Wimbledon. "We know Nick's been in training so we expect to see him back.," Tiley said.

Rafa Nadal's injury hell amid tumultuous year in tennis

While Nadal will make his return at the 2024 Australian Open, he recently moved to play down expectations that he can still win another grand slam. The 37-year-old revealed just how debilitating his current injury issues have been.

“(The pain isn’t gone) but now it is controllable,” he said in a recent interview. “There are times when the foot does not let me live in peace. It is difficult for me to even go down the stairs and that happens sometimes. If it hurts it is difficult to be happy, my character changes when it hurts more than necessary.

“Yes, I would like to play again and be competitive again. But the dream is not to come back and win Roland Garros or win Australia, so that people don’t get confused, right?

“I am very aware that at the time I am in my life, all that is very far away. And I don’t say it’s impossible because in the end I say things - I have said it a thousand times - all things in sport, they change very quickly.”

Nadal has suggested he might call it quits after the French Open, or play on until the Olympic Games in Paris. He has expressed his interest in playing doubles with fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Games.

As for Kyrgios, his prolonged absence and a number of recent comments have sparked speculation that he will call it quits on his career in the very near future. But he recently revealed that retirement isn't on the cards just yet.

Posting a photo from a workout in the gym, Kyrgios wrote: "To my millions of fans out there, I guess we just have to be patient. Trust me, I still have some fire left in the tank, my body just needs time to recover and get back. Everything off-court is doing great. l am eyeing to come back and have a season like my last again."

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