Jakub Mensik defeats Monfils in Doha to become first man born in 2005 or later to reach an ATP final

There was some question about Laura Robson's report last week that Rafael Nadal would make his tour return in Doha. The lucrative ATP 250 stop begins February 19, and Nadal is dealing with a muscle injury suffered earlier this month in Brisbane—his first tournament since January 2023—one that would force him out of the Australian Open.

It appears that Robson was right, and Rafa's coming back.

The fairly loaded field includes Top 5 players Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, six other Top 30 talents and, way down at the bottom, the 446th-ranked Nadal:

ATP250 Doha entry list incl. Nadal, Murray, Medvedev and Rublev pic.twitter.com/JL6gRzLs33
— Michal Samulski (@MichalSamulski) January 22, 2024

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The 37-year-old has played Doha eight times in his career, winning it in 2013 and finishing runner-up in 2010 and 2016.

His last appearance in the Qatari event was in 2016, when he defeated four players ranked outside the Top 65 before losing a lopsided final to Novak Djokovic, 6-1, 6-2.