Rafael Nadal on Wednesday insisted he will be 'competitive' when he returns to professional tennis next month after enduring nearly a year out of action due to injury.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion has undergone surgery twice in 2023 after struggling with a hip injury. He has said next year will likely be his last season before retirement and announced last week he would make his comeback at the Australian Open warm-up event in Brisbane, which runs from January 1-7.