One of the most fascinating storylines heading into the Australian summer of tennis is the return of Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka.
Nadal makes his long-awaited return from injury while Osaka comes back to the court after the birth of her first child.
For the pair, there are two battles to overcome – one physical and one mental.
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Stan Sport commentator and former tennis professional Wally Masur says there is plenty of intrigue over how they'll fare with little in the way of build-up to the first grand slam of 2024.
The last time Osaka made a final was the 2021 Australian Open, which she won.
The Japanese-born American has been open about her mental health struggles that have impacted her ability to perform.
"It's a sport against other people and those other people have been on the road honing their game and improving," Masur told Wide World of Sports.
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"Look at (Aryna) Sabalenka, (Elena) Rybakina, they probably stand a little apart from a host of really good female players. They probably set themselves slightly apart in terms of the majors and what they're capable of.
"That's the challenge for Naomi. The game doesn't stand still and when you step off the merry go round, you've got to get back on it.
"All those people, they've been improving – another brick in the wall, another win, another pre-season, they're just getting better and better.
"Can she win and can she certainly cause problems for the very best players? Absolutely. But I don't think it's gonna be so straightforward.
"I think she might have to work her way back into the tour a little bit, but she is a power player and if you can find that sort of confidence early, who knows?
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"I was pretty impressed with Caroline Wozniacki, who's another player who took time off the tour and had a family. She came back and she wasn't in bad form at all at the US Open.
"She looked fit, she looked sharp, she looked ready to play. If Naomi's done the work, there's no reason she can't be like that too."
Masur is also curious to see how the now 37-year-old Nadal's body will stand up in the five-setters.
The Spaniard only made it as far as the second round at this year's Australian Open where he suffered a hip injury and hasn't played a tournament since.
The Australian Open hasn't been a happy hunting ground for the Spaniard, who has only twice won the tournament and made it to the final on six occasions.
Only Wimbledon is a worse tournament for Nadal, who has won it twice and made the final three more times.
That's in stark contrast to Roland-Garros, which he has won in all 14 occasions he's made the final.
The first chance for Nadal and fans to see how his body holds up will be at the Brisbane International, which is live and ad-free on Stan Sport from December 31.
"I'll be curious to see how Rafa goes because his physicality and his movement and his whole court presence is such a big part of what he does," said Masur.
"He's not a guy that just bombs aces and gets free points and blows people away. He's like a boa constrictor, he just wears people down over time.
"I'll be curious to see how that goes because obviously if he's not 100 per cent physically right that probably hurts him – so we'll see.
"You kind of think with Rafa, he's such a professional. If he comes back you get the feeling that he's done the work, he's gonna be pretty close to where he needs to be and you would think even if it's a few good wins in Brisbane in that first week of the year, that might be enough for him to sort of click back into gear. A year off the tour is a long time, particularly at his age, no question."
If injuries continue to plague Nadal, logically the next question becomes about retirement.
Nadal strenuously denied he'd be retiring after his injury setback at this year's Australian Open.
"It hasn't just been one injury either, has it? It's been a litany of injuries and the last one was obviously quite tricky," Masur explained.
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"You could probably put Andy Murray in the same category. It was just industry and effort and so physical the way they played and they didn't have the serve of a (Pete) Sampras or a (Roger) Federer where they're getting a lot of free points they just had to work so hard throughout the course of their career for their wins.
"They just pay a price. Rafa's forehand is ridiculous. It's such a punishing shot for opponents but it's pretty punishing on his body too the way he generates that pace and that spin.
"How many more injuries can he sustain? And does that diminish his love for the game? And does he have the ability like he did this year to take the whole year off and prepare again? How many times can you go through that, one one wonders?
"We keep our fingers crossed because he's definitely one of the guys I just love watching, I love the way he goes about his business. He's a consummate professional and if you pay money to go and watch Rafa play, you're going to get your money's worth."
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