Rafael Nadal will begin his latest return to the Tour at this week’s Barcelona Open which could be the last time he plays at the event.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner confirmed on Monday that he will play at the ATP 500 event following concerns about his participation. Nadal hasn’t played a Tour-level match since the first week of January due to injury issues. He was scheduled to play in Monte Carlo before being forced to withdraw due to fitness problems.
However, the former world No.1 will now be looking to get back on track at the Barcelona Open which he has won a record 12 times during his career. The stadium court of the venue is named after him.
“I came here a bit on a last minute decision, not knowing if I could play but tomorrow I’ll be on the court,” Nadal said during a press conference.
“For me it’s a gift to be able to be here in Barcelona, I will treat it as my last year [here] and I want to enjoy every moment.” He added.
The 37-year-old has played only three Tour-level matches so far this season which was at the Brisbane International. At that event, he beat Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler before losing to Jordan Thompson in the quarter-finals. Shortly after Brisbane, Nadal suffered a muscle tear which sidelined him from action. More recently, he has been reportedly dealing with an abdominal issue but refused to go into details about it when quizzed by the media on Monday.
“My feelings in training have been better than those I had in Mallorca. My body sensations have also been better and I feel ready to compete,” Nadal assured.
“Then we’ll see what happens. I haven’t been able to practice service much. I will try to take on the burdens progressively. There is uncertainty, but it is what it is. You have to live with it. Within all of this, you have to be able to see things positively and be able to enjoy competing again, being in a tennis tournament, and here I am. What may or may not happen is less important to me.”
Barcelona will be the first clay event Nadal has played since winning the 2022 French Open. 63 out of his 92 ATP titles have been won on the surface.
Nadal’s first round match will be against Italy’s Flavio Cobolli who is currently ranked 62nd in the world. Their match is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
