Forehands, fist-pumps, water bottles: Rafael Nadal’s return in Brisbane felt like old times

5…4…3…2…1…

As the numbers on the big screen at the Brisbane International’s Pat Rafter Arena ticked down on Wednesday night, a roar inside the stadium went up. It wasn’t quite as deafening as in Times Square during the New Year’s ball drop a few days ago, but the sense of anticipation in the sold-out stands was comparable. Tennis was ringing in the new by happily welcoming back the old: 37-year-old Rafael Nadal.

Nadal, who has been out with a hip injury since the Australian Open nearly 12 months ago, didn’t disappoint. Everything we remembered about him was very much in place. He walked on court with one of his Babolat frames already unsheathed, the way he has since he made his pro debut 20 years ago. He carefully lined up his water bottles on the sidelines, and drank the same amount from each on changeovers. He touched his ears, nose, and both shoulders, all in one rapid-fire motion, before he served. He celebrated his winners with a hop, a skip, and a fist-pump.

More important, of course, was what he did during the points in his first-round match against Dominic Thiem. There it was just like old times, too. Nadal started with two love service holds, and added two more later in the first set. He hooked his forehand with the same heavy topspin as always, and clubbed his two-handed backhand as consistently as if he’d never been away from competition. He was equally sharp at net, where he faked Thiem out with a little flick crosscourt forehand, and ended another point by bending low and angling off a textbook backhand drop volley. Arthritis, clearly, has yet to set in.

Even Nadal’s few missteps felt brought on a feeling of déjà vu. With Thiem serving at 5-6 in the first set, Rafa went up 0-30. On the next point, he had a long look at a second serve…and put his return in the net. It was his first real mistake of the match, but it wasn’t a shock. Any veteran Rafa watcher could have predicted that he would get nervous (a) at a moment late in a set when he finally had a chance to break, and (b) on a second-serve return, which gives him more time to think, and more time to tighten up on his swing.

But any veteran Rafa watcher would also have known that he’d eventually find his way past those nerves. His 7-5, 6-1 win was entirely characteristic; he has always worn guys down in close opening sets, and then run away with the second.

“The first set was equal, with both of us serving well and more or less winning on serve,” Nadal said. “I was able to have that break at 6-5, so that makes the difference.”

Nadal finished the performance by raising his arms and thanking the crowd in his customary joyful way. Win number 1,069—he passed Ivan Lendl for fourth on the all-time ATP list—went about as well as anyone in his large entourage could have expected.

“Today is honestly an emotional and important day for me after probably one of the toughest years of my tennis career, without a doubt,” he said. “I had the chance to come back after a year and play in front of an amazing crowd and play, I think, at a very positive level.

“On the first day, it’s something that makes us feel proud,” he said of his family and coaching team.

Nadal hit the ball the same way as always, but what may have been most welcome was his energy. From the way he strides on court with racquet in hand, to the way he moves purposefully from one point to the next, to the way he punctuates his best shots with a fist-pump, there’s never been anything casual or slack or pessimistic about Rafa when he’s on court.

Someday it may be that energy, that upbeat competitive charisma, that we miss most when Rafa retires. Fortunately, we don’t have to worry about missing it quite yet. It’s good to know that a 37-year-old can still give the sport a New Year’s jolt.