Three months after a torn hip muscle left his hopes of competing at the Australian Open in tatters, Rafael Nadal is ready to resume his farewell tour.
On Tuesday afternoon at the Barcelona Open, a tournament where he has won a dozen titles, the 37-year-old Spaniard will take to the stadium court named in his honour to face Flavio Cobolli of Italy in the opening round. It will be Nadal’s first match since limping away from a quarter-final defeat to Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International in January, and just his fourth of an injury-plagued season that, he confirmed, is likely to be his last.
“I don’t know what may happen in the future, but as of today I take it as if it is going to be my last participation here in the Godó,” Nadal told a press conference. “This is my current feeling and I’m going to try to enjoy it in any way I can, and without giving up on being competitive.”
After a string of withdrawals that began when he pulled out of the Australian Open, and continued through events in Qatar, Indian Wells and, most recently, last week’s Monte Carlo Masters, where he said his body “simply would not allow” him to compete, Nadal’s delight at the prospect of a first competitive outing on clay since the 2022 French Open final was plain.
“Rather than regretting the places I haven’t been able to play, I’m happy to be here,” said the 22-time grand slam champion. “On a personal level, to me being in Barcelona is a gift. I’m treating it as my last year, I want to enjoy every second. That makes everything a little more special.
“It hurt not being able to be in Monte Carlo last week but, luckily, things have improved this week. I feel ready to go out and play tomorrow.”
While the Spaniard declined to elaborate on the exact nature of his recent injuries – “the list is long,” he said – he laboured on serve during an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz last month in Las Vegas, leading many onlookers to suspect a back problem. Last week, however, Nadal revealed in a Spanish television interview that he has been struggling with an abdominal injury. Either way, his physical issues appear to be easing, judging from a 6-1 win over Andrey Rublev, the world No 8 and second seed, in a practice set at the Reial Club de Tennis Barcelona 1899.
Currently ranked 644 in the world, Nadal has secured a place in the 64-strong draw for the tournament using a protected ranking. Should he get past Cobolli, the world No 62, he would face Alex De Minaur, the Australian fourth seed, who has a bye. But Nadal was characteristically reluctant to look ahead – certainly not as far as the semi-finals, where Carlos Alcaraz is no longer a potential opponent after abandoning his title defence because of the same arm injury that prevented him from playing in Monte Carlo.
“Let’s hope he recovers well and quickly,” said Nadal. “It’s bad for the tournament, because he’s the top seed. But I’m not in a position to be thinking about the semi-finals.”
As for the question of when and where he will retire, Nadal likewise refused to be drawn. It now seems less likely that he will play on into 2025, as he had previously suggested he might if January’s return from injury went well. That would point to a possible summer farewell at Roland Garros, either at the French Open, where he is a 14-time champion, or at the Paris Olympics, which begin in late July. First, though, he must remain fit long enough to make the starting line for those events.
“We’ll keep going forward until I have the feeling that it’s not worth it,” said Nadal. “I’m not putting a deadline on that but, as I’ve said, in the end life marks your path for you.”