"About to have a mental breakdown and start crying"; "He's not traveling light" - Fans react to Rafael Nadal landing in Brisbane for 2024 comeback

Rafael Nadal has landed on Australian soil ahead of his highly awaited 2024 comeback and tennis fans can’t contain their excitement.

Nadal, who hasn’t played a single match since suffering a hip injury during his Australian Open second-round exit, announced on December 1 that he would resume his tennis journey at the 2024 Brisbane International (December 31 - January 7). He has been awarded a wild card entry.

In the weeks that followed, Rafael Nadal participated in some intense training blocks. After a few sessions at his academy in his hometown Manacor, the Spaniard travelled to his academy in Kuwait.

There, he took part in a week-long on-court drill with 19-year-old Arthur Fils. Fils, a rising French star, featured in two finals in the 2023 season, in Lyon and Antwerp, winning the former. He was also the runner-up at the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals.

Following his practice sessions with Fils, Nadal returned to his hometown, where he continued his preparations. The 22-time Grand Slam champion hit the court with the likes of Richard Gasquet, Jan-Lennard Struff and Emil Ruusuvuori.

Rafael Nadal has now arrived in Brisbane to commence his comeback in what could be the final season of his illustrious career. Several tennis fans were thus thrilled to see him back in Australia.

One fan went through a range of emotions after a video of the former World No. 1’s airport arrival was released by the tournament’s official social media account.

"Yeah im about to have a mental breakdown and start crying. I am so happy, his smile is so beautiful. I missed him so much," the fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Another fan hinted that his luggage size was an indication that he was here to stay:

"He’s not traveling light. You go Rafa."

One fan was stunned by the Spaniard pushing his heavy trolley all by himself.

"Look at this guy, if I’m that famous I’ll not be pushing that sh*t!" the fan said.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:

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Rafael Nadal: "What I really hope is to be able to forgive myself if things go wrong at the beginning"

The Spaniard pictured at the 2023 Australian Open

After announcing his return date, Rafael Nadal shared a series of videos on social media explaining his comeback journey. He made some vulnerable admissions about the doubts, fears and uncertainties he dealt with during his months on the sidelines.

The 37-year-old also clarified that he isn’t expecting much from himself this time around, having spent years fulfilling his goals.

"I expect from myself not to expect anything. This is the truth. To have the ability not to demand from myself what I have demanded throughout my career," he said in a video on X.

"Right now what I really hope is to be able to not do that, not to demand the maximum, to accept that things are going to be very difficult at the beginning and forgive myself if things go wrong at the beginning, which is a very big possibility," he added.

With his upcoming return, Rafael Nadal will have a chance to add to his tally of 92 career titles and 22 Grand Slams. But he will face tough competition from the outset given that Holger Rune, Ben Shelton, Grigor Dimitrov, Sebastian Korda and Andy Murray are all playing the Brisbane International too.