Tennis great Rafael Nadal is set to play the Australian Open in 2024, marking his return to the sport after a year off with injuries. 

Nadal has not played on tour since being troubled by a hip injury in a second-round loss to 65th-ranked American Mackenzie McDonald at this year's Australian Open.

But tournament director Craig Tiley confirmed to Channel Nine that the 37-year-old was scheduled to return to Melbourne Park in 2024, despite his ranking currently sitting at 240th in the world.

"He's been off for most of the year, and in talking to him over the last few days he confirmed he will be back, which we're really excited about," Tiley said on The Today Show.

The news comes just weeks after Nadal gave a sobering update on his struggles, which also include a degenerative condition called Muller-Weiss syndrome that affects the bones in his feet.

"[The pain isn't gone] but now it is controllable," Nadal told Spanish broadcaster Movistar.

Nadal won the 2022 Australian and French Open titles to become the most prolific men's major winner with 22 singles titles, but rival Novak Djokovic has since won four slams to move to 24, eclipsing Serena Williams for the most in the Open era. 

With rumours of retirement swirling around the oft-injured Spaniard, Nadal said he wanted to return and be "competitive" but acknowledged adding to his major tally was a long way off.