Barcelona
Nadal admits he’s ready for Barcelona: ‘I’m going to give it my all’
The Spanish player is expected to return to Barcelona on Tuesday
April 15, 2024
barcelona open bank sabadell
Rafael Nadal spoke to the media at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Monday.
Written by Alvaro Lama
The excitement of playing in a tennis tournament again is growing for Rafael Nadal, who makes his return this week at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. The former world No. 1, who has been out of action since January 5, is training hard in the Catalan city with one goal in mind. He gets a chance to play at home, hit the ball freely and have fun on the court. I’ve been doing it all my life and I still aspire to do it again.
“I’m happy to be here,” said the Spaniard, who has not participated in a Conde de Godo event since winning his 12th Conde de Godo title in 2021. “I have a lot of very good memories of this tournament. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to go in the last few years. Fortunately, I was able to come here with a last-minute decision. I think the week of training was positive and I’ll be on the court tomorrow.”
The match, which will pit him against Italian Flavio Cobolli, who is currently 62nd in the PIF ATP rankings, will be the door for everyone to return to the circuit after what seemed like an eternity of wait. Real Club de Tennis Barcelona 1899 fans are well aware that he has come a long way to get there and are flocking to catch a glimpse of one of their biggest heroes.
The Spaniard returned to the ATP Tour in Brisbane in January after an unprecedented 2023 season following psoas surgery and an old hip issue. He won two games in Australia, but lost in the quarterfinals to Jordan Thompson, a match that ended with an injury.
Rafa suffered a slight muscle strain in that area, which will keep him away from the court in 2023, forcing him to miss the two tournaments he was scheduled to compete in at the beginning of the season, the Australian Open and the ATP 250 in Doha. Then, acting with caution, he decided not to compete in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, the Miami Open hosted by Itau, and the first three tournaments of the season, the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters of the ATP Masters 1000. .
The Mallorcan is realistic about the facts surrounding his return to professional competition, but seems to be optimistic about the situation.
“I have no hesitation at all. The question is whether I can do it,” he explained. “The last few years have been tough. I had major hip surgery and it took me a year to recover. When that happens, it’s tough. A lot of things happen to your body and it’s not what I wanted. I can no longer follow a schedule like that. [It is about] Accept the situation — when you can, you can, and when you can’t, you can’t. It’s very painful to miss certain events, but that’s the reality. I have to weigh all the good things that have happened to me throughout my life. At this point in my career, I’m in a different situation, if not unfortunately. ”
The 12-time champion is counting his blessings and savoring every moment of his time at Barcelona, where he is already starting to feel the heat of competition.
“I’m more happy to be here than regret where I couldn’t play. On a personal level, it’s a gift for me to be at Barcelona,” Nadal said. “I think this is my last year, so I want to enjoy every second of it. It makes everything a little more special. That’s how it feels at the moment. I was in Monte Carlo last week. It hurt not being able to participate, but luckily things have improved this week. I think I’ll be ready to go out and play tomorrow.
“Without thinking further, about my preparation. I know what the situation is. Anything could happen, I’m just ready. But I’m realistic. And for me, just being here is exciting and I’m happy to be playing on this court in this tournament.”
In a competition he has played in for more than 20 years, since first taking part in the 2003 season, the Mallorcan player spoke about how it feels to take part in this competition in a year unlike any other.
“There were also times when I came here excited because I felt like I had a chance to win. I’m not going to say this time is more exciting than the other times,” Nadal explained. “They are all special and important to me. Fortunately, I have experienced many things that give me great memories. That is life. Everything has a beginning and an end. Sports As for this, I don’t know what will happen in the future. For now, I’m treating this as if it’s my last participation in the Godot Tournament. This is how I feel right now.
“I’m going to have as much fun as I can while still being competitive. I’m not going there to pay homage, I’m going to do as good as possible to give myself a chance. This week’s practice was positive, so I’m going to give it my all.”
Editor’s note: This interview was translated from ATPTour.com/es.
