- Former world number one Rafael Nadal will be marking his tennis return at the Barcelona Open
- Meanwhile, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will miss this season’s Barcelona Open due to an injury on his right arm
Former world number one Rafael Nadal will be marking his tennis return at the Barcelona Open for the first time since January.
Nadal last played on January 5 at the Brisbane International and has since been sidelined due to injury issues. He has missed the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Monte Carlo, but will now play in Barcelona, which will be his first appearance on clay since the 2022 French Open, which he won.
The Spanish player’s decision to play in Barcelona came in the last minute and he is positive after a week of training.
“I’m happy to be here. I have many very good memories of this tournament. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to be here in recent years. Luckily I was able to come here as a last-minute decision. I think, all things considered, the week of training has been positive. Tomorrow I will be on court.” Rafael Nadal said while announcing that he will play at the Barcelona Open, according to ATP Tour.
Rafael Nadal has missed the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Monte Carlo due to struggles with injuries but will now play in Barcelona. Photo/ Sky Sports.
Nadal hasn’t been at the Conde de Godo event since 2021 but is a well respected figure in the tournament considering he has won twelve titles here.
Nadal’s appearance in Brisbane was his first match in almost one year as injury struggles robbed him the 2023 season. He underwent an operation on his psoas and an old hip problem before returning to the court at the start of this year.
However, things still didn’t go well with him and he bowed out of Brisbane International in the quarter-finals with a minor muscle tear in the area that had kept him off the courts in 2023. While working on his recovery, he was forced to withdrew from a host of big tournaments on the ATP Tour.
Rafael Nadal, who had announced that he will retire at the end of the 2024 season, is desperate to play in the French Open which is his favourite Grand Slam.
When Will Rafael Nadal Play in Barcelona?
The Barcelona Open is currently underway and Nadal is expected to make his appearance later today, April 16. The 37-year-old is scheduled to play against Flavio Cobolli in the first round. It will be the first meeting of the pair and the winner will face fourth seed Alex de Minaur in the second round.
Nadal, who is currently ranked world number 644, could then face Arthur Fils in the third round. Stefanos Tsitsipas, who won in Monte Carlo, is also in the same half of the draw, which means Nadal could face him later in the tournament.
Carlos Alcaraz Withdraws From Barcelona Open
Carlos Alcaraz will miss the ongoing Barcelona Open. Photo/ beIN SPORTS.
Meanwhile, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will miss this season’s Barcelona Open due to an injury on his right arm. The world number three has won the title in the past two years but will miss the ongoing event due to the same injury that also forced him to withdraw from this week’s Monte Carlo Masters.
“The player has suffered from the injury sustained in Monte Carlo, and did not have a good feeling in his training on Sunday. Wishing you a speedy recovery, we hope to see you next year.” The tournament posted on social media while announcing the absence of Alcaraz.
Alcaraz is hopeful that he will recover on time to play at the Madrid Open, which starts on April 2022, after missing the Barcelona Open. The 20-year-old has so far won two Grand Slams and will be aiming to be at his best when the French Open kicks off at the end of next month.
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