Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal has celebrated a successful comeback after a long injury break. More than three months after his last match on the ATP tour, the 37-year-old Spaniard won his opening game against Flavio Cobolli from Italy 6:2, 6:3 at the tournament in Barcelona.
In the first game on his beloved clay since his 14th title at the French Open 681 days ago, Nadal initially had slight difficulties at the start. The first serve landed in the net and he gave up the first two points. With every rally, the 22-time Grand Slam winner found his game more and more, but he also benefited from his 21-year-old opponent’s nervousness. After 1:25 hours, Nadal converted his second match point.
“I’m happy to have come back with a win,” said Nadal, who also explained that it gets “harder” after every injury: “Age also makes it more difficult. Playing again means a lot to me.”
Nadal’s big goal is the French Open in Paris next summer, and the Mallorcan is also targeting the Olympic Games. Barcelona is therefore considered an important tournament in its preparation. Nadal has already triumphed twelve times on the oldest tennis facility in Spain, whose center court has borne his name since 2017. In round two, Nadal will face fourth-placed Australian Alex de Minaur.
Nadal was out almost all of 2023 due to a hip injury. After his comeback in January 2024, he had to miss the Australian Open due to a torn muscle fiber. Since then, several attempts by the 2008 Olympic champion to return to the ATP tour have failed.
Should Nadal also win his second match in Barcelona, the clay court king could face Daniel Altmaier in the round of 16. The 25-year-old from Kempen won in the Catalan metropolis at the start with 6:3, 7:6 (7:4) against Alexei Popyrin from Australia.
2024-04-16 16:47:00
#Rafael #Nadal #celebrates #victory #comeback
