To the joy of his horde of Spanish supporters, Rafael Nadal has decided to play in the Barcelona Open. The 22-time Grand Slam winner will be back in action on Tuesday.
It will be highly anticipated that this will be Rafael Nadal’s first appearance on clay courts in two years when he faces Flavio Cobolli of Italy in the opening round.
When he came to Barcelona for practice last week, the 37-year-old acknowledged he had serious reservations about his ability to play, despite being the 14-time French Open champion and the ultimate winner on the red carpet.
First instruction period… thrilled to be in Barcelona for the next several days before the competition, he posted on Instagram the week before.
“I’ve come to check on you. eager to give playing a try.
It’s important to note that, although I hope to play, I don’t want to confirm. We’ll see.
Nadal might have shocked himself by announcing at a press conference on Monday that he would play in Barcelona, considering his gloomy tone.
At a press conference, Rafael Nadal said, I can’t give you an injury update because the list is vast and I just want to think about what can happen.
All I can say is that I feel good enough today to be on the court tomorrow, and that is really important to me.
Being able to perform here in Barcelona, where I have experienced incredible success and many priceless experiences, one more time means a lot to me.
I am attempting to savor each moment and am thrilled to be competing in a professional event once more, particularly in my hometown.
After all, Rafael Nadal is returning to Barcelona, and here’s what we can anticipate from the all-time great on clay courts.
Why did Nadal pass over?
Nadal’s withdrawal from the ATP 1000 tournament in Monte Carlo last week was due to a back issue that he was experiencing during an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas last month.
Although he has posted videos of himself hitting ground balls with remarkable venom on social media, his back issue has been limiting his ability to serve.
During a practice session with Andrey Rublev last week, Nadal reportedly asked his coaching staff for input on his serving frequently, indicating that there is still concern about that aspect of his game.
Describe his objectives.
If Nadal didn’t think he could compete in Barcelona, he wouldn’t be there.
Because of his amazing clay court record, Rafael Nadal is always a threat when he steps onto the court; therefore, in Barcelona, we should expect something very exceptional from him.
If Nadal is healthy by the time the Roland-Garros tournament begins, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic has hinted that he might be able to win the French Open once more.
There’s no denying that this titan of the game will have a tremendous aura around him for any opponent attempting to take him on during this stretch of the tennis season.
In his first tournament back, is Nadal able to win the Barcelona Open title? If someone were to stand in his way, he would undoubtedly be a fierce opponent, albeit that may be asking too much.
WHAT THEY MENTION ABOUT NADAL’S RETURN
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic: “We all know what he’s done in his career on clay, especially at Roland Garros.
We all know that’s his objective; he’s been stating it. We hope he can play at Roland Garros, for the good of tennis in general and Roland Garros in particular. It would be wonderful to have another wonderful meeting.
I would say that Rafa, regardless of whether he hasn’t played at all or if that’s his first tournament, we all know what Rafa is capable of and how quickly he can adjust to one of his favorite surfaces, which is a clay court, said Stefanos Tsitsipas, the most recent winner of the Monte Carlo Masters.
Considering that Rafa has consistently performed in the Barcelona finals for countless years, I wouldn’t be shocked if we saw him there.
What he does possess, though, is a ferocious tennis game and a competitive streak that can make him appear invincible from an outside perspective.
“Because you can feel his ball, things feel different on the court. You only get a visual sensation while you’re watching, but when I have to face him, all six of my senses are engaged and activated. He’s the ultimate challenge on clay, in my opinion.
“I think what he has now that he didn’t have before is experience, and he knows for sure how to win points and to prevail in more economy mode than he was before, whether he’s playing now in, let’s say, the latter stages of his career or the ones before.
