Nadal makes a convincing comeback in Barcelona

Even after a forced hiatus of more than 100 days, the Spaniard performed with confidence. “I'm treating this year as my last.”

Rafael Nadal celebrated a convincing comeback on the ATP Tour in Barcelona on Tuesday. The 37-year-old Spanish tennis star, who had a 103-day break after his exit from Brisbane, beat Italian Flavio Copoli 6:2, 6:3 in the first round. Nadal will face Australian Alex de Minaur, seeded fourth, in the second round.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner recently withdrew from the tournament in Monte Carlo because he did not feel fit enough. But in Barcelona, ​​where he won the title no less than a dozen times (most recently in 2021), he shined in his first match since being eliminated from the quarter-finals in Brisbane on January 5th. Strong groundstrokes, good speed, pretty much the same.

“The fact that I can be at Barcelona is a gift for me,” Nadal said before the match. “I'm treating this year as my last and I want to enjoy every second. It makes everything more special, and that's how I feel right now.”

Nadal is certainly not thinking about a 13th title in Barcelona just yet. “I'm glad I started winning. It gets more difficult the older you get to come back from injury,” he said after his 475th career win on clay.

But Andre Roblo has already been eliminated. The No. 2 seed Russian lost in the second round to American Brandon Nakashima 4:6,6:7(6). (Abba)