Nadal will play the Godó, like Alcaraz

The Barcelona sun beat down hard on the corner of the

Conde de Godó Trophy

zone. The fans gathered and raised their cell phones when a smiling and joking Rafa Nadal appeared at the table where the draw for the matchup draw was held. The last time he acted as an innocent hand was in 2003, when a young 16-year-old tennis player decided the fate of the participants in the Real Club de Tenis de Barcelona competition, his club since he was a child. Since then, 22 Grand Slams, 12 Godó titles and also many injuries for the Manacorí. The last one, some discomfort in the abdominal area that prevented him from performing a fluid and powerful serve, which led to his absence from the Monte Carlo tournament. And behind the doubts, of giving up four competitions this season, of training for four days, Nadal reappeared smiling to play again.

"I'm happy to be here. Barcelona has given me many joys, I have spent many times in my life and this is my club. Spending days here, seeing the people, being able to train with the players is a joy,” confessed the former number one after the draw, where he shared a table with the tournament's sports director, David Ferrer, and the actor Peter Vives, the other innocent hand. . His first rival at the 71st Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell will be the young Italian Flavio Cobolli, number 63 in the world, next Tuesday the 16th, and he would not face Carlos Alcaraz — who will also attend the event despite problems with his right arm that have prevented him from competing in Monte Carlo—until a hypothetical semifinal. With clear intentions, the mystery about his participation seems to disappear.

But first, Nadal went from testing himself in the center - which has had his name since 2017 - to training to play. Last Wednesday he arrived in Barcelona, ​​and hid his kick from the press and club members who were able to attend his training for about an hour. He first tested against David Jordà –

298th ATP and club

– but on Thursday he repeated double training morning and afternoon. Behind closed doors, but with the presence of his wife and son—whom he jokingly entertained by throwing balls from the court—his rival became more serious, and Sebastián Báez—19th in the world, a clay court specialist, recent winner in Rio and Santiago de Chile—he was

in the morning, while Marc López, a member of his coaching staff, did so in the afternoon. Alejandro Davidovich was chosen for Friday, and he refined his good feelings against the sixth in the world, Andrey Rublev, just a few hours before the draw. “How am I serving!” Nadal shouted at the coach, although he modified the technique to avoid straining his abdomen, in a gesture reminiscent of the 2022 Wimbledon quarterfinals, when he beat Taylor Fritz despite suffering a muscle tear. .

One more day at the office ⚒️@RafaelNadal, recovering sensations in Barcelona.@rctb1899 | #BCNOpenBS pic.twitter.com/lflI0rs4vH

— Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell (@bcnopenbs) April 11, 2024

The path for Rafa is not easy. In the case of overcoming Cobolli, his rival would be Álex de Miñaur —11th and third seeded—, and to meet Carlos Alcaraz, he would have to overcome the round of 16 and the quarterfinals to land in a hypothetical semifinal. The Murcian tennis player – winner of the last two editions – will land in Barcelona this Sunday with the intention of defending his title, after having resigned from the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 due to a physical problem in his right arm. For the reunion with Nadal, he should beat the winner of the match between Luca Van Assche and Zhizhen Zhang from the start next Wednesday.

“I hope Nadal and Alcaraz meet in the semifinal. Rafa is training at a high level and Carlos is fully recovered. I want to dream about this semifinal,” said David Ferrer, the tournament's sports director. “It will be a special Godó because we have Rafa with us after a few years in which he has not been able to compete and I am happy to see him again here, in his house,” continued the Valencian. Between Nadal and Alcaraz they have won 14 of the last 18 editions of the Godó. But it has been 532 days — October 31, 2022, in Paris-Bercy — since the two have not shared a team. And even with the preliminary phase underway, a total of nine Spanish tennis players are seen between the matches. With the die cast, doubts about Nadal's participation seem to dissolve to give way to hope. Absent since January 5, Brisbane, the Mallorcan returns to action.