"The GOAT is in the house, tennis is alive again" - Tennis fans ecstatic over Rafael Nadal hitting practice courts ahead of Paris Masters

Following his defeat to Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round of the US Open, Rafael Nadal has not competed in any singles matches. He has been dealing with an abdominal injury since Wimbledon and also became a father for the first time in the meantime.

However, the Spaniard is slated to return to playing tennis at the Paris Masters, which will be held from October 30 to November 6. On Thursday, he was spotted hitting the practice courts alongside French qualifying wildcard holder Quentin Halys. Tournament officials took to Twitter to share a glimpse of him practicing.

In view of this, tennis fans took to Twitter to share their excitement about Nadal's comeback. One fan stated that he feared that the 36-year-old's season was over after the US Open.

"After the us open I was afraid Rafa's season could be over but now we're so close to seeing him again on court," one faid said.

Another fan stated that he wished to see the Mallorcan injury-free for the remainder of the year.

"Broken record but means a lot to me to wish Rafa an injury free remainder of 2022. It’s a lot to hope for if we know how unfortunate Rafa has been," one tweet read.

One user stated that she would go back to using her Tennis TV account once again, presumably to stream the 22-time Grand Slam champion's matches.

"Time to revisit my Tennis TV account. Rafa is back. My tennis time is back," another fan wrote.

Here are a few more fan reactions:

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"It's hard not to get emotional" - Rafael Nadal on Roger Federer's retirement

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer pictured at the Laver Cup 2022.

Roger Federer retired after the conclusion of the 2022 Laver Cup. He and Rafael Nadal competed in a doubles match against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe in London. The former World No. 1 pair went down 4-6, 7-6(2), 11-9 in what was the swiss maestro's final professional match.

A tearful farewell was held after the match, with Nadal and Federer holding hands at one point. The Spaniard later admitted to being sensitive and said it was hard not to get emotional after everything that transpired on the night, during a press conference.

"I'm a sensitive person, and when you see someone you appreciate like that, it's hard not to get emotional, although it got a little out of hand. When I got to my room, I got emotional again. But because of what was experienced that night, it was difficult not to get excited," he said.

The Spaniard turned down the idea that his feelings were influenced by the possibility that he might also retire in the near future.

"I know that the moment of my retirement will come within 'x' or 'x' plus a little years, but with 36 years and a half, we are in the final stretch of my career. But now I neither consider it nor do I want to consider it. My emotion was not because of that, but because of the appreciation I feel towards Federer," he stated.