Rafael Nadal to face Dominic Thiem in first singles match since January at Brisbane International

What's the old saying—you mess with the snake, you get the bull?

Eh, not really. But a couple of days after a tense qualifying victory with a venomous snake nearby, Dominic Thiem will face the sport's Raging Bull, Rafael Nadal, in a blockbuster Brisbane first-rounder.

Thiem completed his road to the main draw on Sunday with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over 135th-ranked Giulio Zepperi. His next opponent is technically ranked No. 672, but in no world is that number an accurate representation of his adversary.

Nadal, of course, is a 22-time Grand Slam champion making his return to the game after nearly a year on the sidelines. He'll begin what is assumed to be his farewell season—in singles; he'll play doubles on Sunday with Marc Lopez—against a former US Open champion and a two-time Roland Garros finalist.

Both of those runner-up finishes in Paris were courtesy of Nadal, who has beaten Thiem four times overall on the terre battue.

Across all surfaces, Thiem is 6-9 against Nadal. He has won their last two meetings, however: at the 2020 ATP Finals (round-robin stage) and at the 2020 Australian Open (quarterfinal). Five of the six sets they played in those matches went to tiebreakers, and all of them went Thiem's way.

Both players are far off their career-best form. Both are still on the way back from serious injuries.

None of that will matter on Monday, when Nadal and Thiem try to turn back the clock as we turn the page on 2023.

Get your popcorn ready.