Rafael Nadal returned to action for the first time in nearly a year and refused to rule out the chance that he will continue playing beyond the 2024 season.
Playing in his first competitive match since last January, Nadal lost his doubles match Sunday at the Brisbane International in Australia but showed no obvious aftereffects of the hip injury that ruined his 2023 season.
Nadal, who is gearing up for next month's Australian Open, admitted before the match that there was a "high percentage" that this would be his last time playing in Australia but left open the possibility of a return.
"The problem about saying it's going to be my last season is that I can't predict what's going on 100% in the future," Nadal said ahead of his doubles match with partner Marc Lopez. "That's the thing. That's why I say probably."
Nadal, 37, has not played since suffering a hip flexor injury at last year's Australian Open that ultimately required surgery in June. The 22-time Grand Slam champion said he wants to wait to see how his body responds to this season before making a final decision on his career.
"It's obvious it's a high percentage that it's going to be my last time playing in Australia," he said. "But if I'm here next year, don't tell me, 'You said it's going to be your last season,' because I didn't say it.
"You never know what's going on, you know? I can't predict how I'm going to be in the next six months. I can't predict if my body will allow me to enjoy tennis as much as I enjoyed the past 20 years."
Nadal was warmly welcomed by fans who held up Spanish flags and supportive messages at a packed Pat Rafter Arena. Nadal and Lopez lost 6-4 6-4 to Australians Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson, but the loudest cheers were reserved for Nadal's trademark whipped shots and a powerful crosscourt backhand winner in the opening set.
Nadal is likely to get a similar reception in his singles opener Tuesday against qualifier Dominic Thiem, who he beat in the 2018 and 2019 French Open finals.
"It's great to see Rafa back," Thompson said. "I've been on the receiving end a couple of times in singles, so it's nice to get him back on a doubles court."
Nadal has previously said he expects 2024 to be his final season and acknowledged he pondered retirement during his extended injury layoff.
"If I thought about retirement during that period of time, of course, yes. I went through a lot of things [that were] pretty bad," he said. "I did not miss the competition, because all this time my body was not ready to compete. What I missed was to be healthy; to wake up and not have pain.
"At some point I decided to keep going. Then I just began working day by day without thinking much and doing the things I have to do. It's impossible to think about winning tournaments today. What's really possible is to enjoy the comeback. I don't expect much -- one year without being on the court."
In an interview earlier this month with Spanish newspaper El Pais, Nadal said he was already thinking about this year's French Open, where he has won 14 of his major titles, and indicated he would have more clarity about his future by then.
"When I arrive in Paris, I will know if it is my last year. And there will be a prior announcement," Nadal told El Pais, which published the interview Sunday. "There will have passed five months on the circuit and I'll know my reality."
ESPN's Jake Michaels and Reuters contributed to this report.