MONTE CARLO – Rafael Nadal is set to return to action this week in Barcelona and play just his second event of an injury-hit season. While the Spaniard lacks match practice, Stefanos Tsitsipas said it would be no surprise to see him battling for the title.
Nadal, who has said he expects to retire after the 2024 season, returned to the tour in Brisbane in January after nearly a year out with a hip flexor injury and the 37-year-old has not played an ATP tournament since due to a muscle issue.
The 22-time Grand Slam singles champion looked set to make another comeback at the Monte Carlo Masters in April but withdrew days before the start of the clay-court tournament, saying his body would not allow him to play.
Nadal has won the Barcelona title 12 times and is drawn to play Flavio Cobolli on April 16.
He confirmed he will play this week in a boost to organisers after world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz withdrew on April 14 due to a right arm injury.
“I arrived here a bit like in a last-minute decision as I didn’t know if I was going to be able to play,” Nadal told a press conference on April 15.
“Tomorrow I’m going to be on the court.
“More than lamenting where I wasn’t able to be, I prefer to be happy that I am here. On a personal level, it is a gift for me to be in Barcelona.
“I’m taking this as my last year and I want to enjoy every moment.”
Tsitsipas believes Nadal will have no trouble finding form on his favourite surface.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw Rafa in the final of Barcelona, because that’s something he has done over and over again for years and years,” said Tsitsipas, who won the Monte Carlo title for a third time on April 14.
“What he does have is this competitiveness and this fierce tennis when he gets into the momentum that sometimes feels unstoppable.
“I think he’s the ultimate challenge on clay.
“Whether he’s playing now at, let’s say, later stages of his career or the ones before, what he has now that he didn’t before is experience, and he for sure knows ways to win points and to prevail more in economy mode than before.”
World No. 7 Tsitsipas, a three-time runner-up in Barcelona, will aim to carry his good form from Monaco to Spain after winning his first title of the season with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Norwegian Casper Ruud.
“I did need a week like this a lot, especially (after) the rough months I’ve been through the latter half of 2023 until now,” Tsitsipas said.
“It hasn’t been the best of times in terms of where I wanted to be, so getting back here and winning the title is something I was definitely not aiming for and it came naturally.” REUTERS, AFP
