At the twilight of his immense career, Rafael Nadal is awaited with great curiosity in Barcelona where he faces Flavio Cobolli on Tuesday for his first match in more than three months, in what risks being his final stretch towards a final Roland-Garros .
He was said to have been hitting without restraint for several weeks in training, but abdominal pain preventing him from serving forced him to withdraw from tournament after tournament, including Monte Carlo last week. The formalization of his participation in Barcelona was therefore awaited with a certain fear, but he should be on the court on Tuesday. The question is in what state.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, winner in Monte-Carlo on Sunday, is unambiguous on this subject: “I would not be surprised to see Rafa in the final in Barcelona because he has done it again and again for years,” says the Greek.
To support his words, he underlines the extent to which simple observers are far from realizing what it is like to face the Spaniard, even if he will be 38 years old in June. “You only have the visual sensation, you don’t have the sensation of his ball. Me, when I play against him, my six senses are activated and I consider him to be the ultimate challenge on earth. What he has now, at the end of his career and which he did not have before, is experience. He knows how to win points and gain the upper hand by saving himself more than before,” explains the Greek.
Disappointments
The fact remains that Nadal has not won a tournament since his extravagant 14th title at Roland-Garros in June 2022, which allowed him to bring the record for Grand Slam titles to 22 (since surpassed by Djokovic’s 24). And that he played very few matches but suffered numerous disappointments: titled in Australia and Roland-Garros in 2022, he withdrew before his semi-final at Wimbledon for an abdominal injury and only won four matches for five defeats in the second half of the season.
In 2023, he lost both of his United Cup matches before losing in the second round at the Australian Open and drawing a line under the season.
Back in Australia last January, he won two matches before losing in the quarterfinals in Brisbane and withdrawing from the first Major of the season. The first package in a long series with always the same explanation: “my body doesn’t allow me to do it”. So here he is in Barcelona, where he won twelve times on a central court that bears his name.
“I’m happy to be here, of course. Barcelona is a place that has brought me a lot of joy,” said the champion on Saturday during the draw for a private draw of Carlos Alcaraz, still suffering from pain. on the right forearm. If he passes the first round against an opponent on paper within his reach, Nadal will come across a big piece in the second round in the person of the Australian Alex De Minaur, 11th in the world and beaten in the quarter-finals in Monte-Carlo by Djokovic.
We will then know what his body allows him.
