French Open the moment to 'give everything' after Barcelona defeat, says Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal (37) expressed that the upcoming French Open will serve as the opportunity to exert maximum effort and leave it all on the court, even if it means risking it all. This determination comes after his return from injury in Barcelona was cut short by Alex de Minaur on Wednesday.

Having been sidelined for three months, the 22-time Grand Slam title winner fought valiantly but ultimately succumbed to a 7-5, 6-1 defeat against the 11th-ranked player from Australia in the second round.

Nadal, who missed a significant portion of the 2023 season, has his sights set on competing at the French Open in May, where he holds the record as a 14-time champion.

The Spanish tennis star clarified that the match against De Minaur was not the pivotal moment he had been saving himself for. Instead, he is targeting his return to Roland Garros as the time to give his all, fully aware that this may be the final year of his illustrious career.

"On a personal level, considering what lies ahead, the 6-1 result in the second set was inevitable today," stated Nadal, emphasizing that there are greater challenges awaiting him.

"Today was not the day to give everything and risk it all. I need to give myself the chance to do so in a few weeks, or at least attempt to do so.

"I will strive to progress further in Madrid, then take another step in Rome, and finally, in Paris... that will be the moment to seize, regardless of the outcome. There is no better place for it."

Nadal emphasized the importance of accumulating weeks of experience, playing matches, and becoming more comfortable with everything in order to succeed at Roland Garros.

"I felt more at ease today compared to yesterday... I have to be practical, I can't play a match that lasts two and a half or three hours today."

The Spaniard, a 12-time winner of the Barcelona clay-court title, easily defeated Flavio Cobolli on Tuesday in his first ATP Tour match since January. However, he fell short against De Minaur, who has now won their last two encounters.

Despite displaying glimpses of his exceptional skills on the court named after him, Nadal was defeated in what he described as his "realistically" final appearance at the tournament.

De Minaur broke in the opening game and challenged Nadal with a series of impressive drop shots that Nadal couldn't reach.

Nevertheless, Nadal responded with a break of his own in the sixth game and solidified his lead with a powerful backhand for a 4-3 advantage.

De Minaur broke to love, taking a 6-5 lead as Nadal hit wide, and clinched the first set when Nadal's shot landed in the net, winning the final 10 points as Nadal began to struggle.

The 25-year-old Australian dominated the second set, breaking Nadal three times and closing it out when Nadal's shot went long.

"I'm saddened because no one wants Rafa to retire," De Minaur expressed.

"I never imagined I would defeat Rafa on clay, it's something I'll remember when I look back on my career."

Earlier, Norway's three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud triumphed in an entertaining 6-3, 6-4 match against Alexandre Muller to advance to the third round.

The 25-year-old Norwegian, who finished second at the Monte Carlo Masters last week, was broken twice in the initial set and allowed Muller to save 10 out of 14 break points. Despite his lack of precision, Ruud still managed to claim the set.

The third seed appeared to have secured the victory when he broke his French opponent in the third game of the second set.

Nevertheless, the sixth-ranked player in the world squandered four break points while serving for the match, allowing 27-year-old Muller to make a comeback at 5-4.

Ruud, however, displayed more efficiency in the subsequent game, breaking Muller to advance with his 25th win in 2024 and will now face Jordan Thompson in the upcoming round.

"This year has been much better than the last one, I'm having a good year," stated Ruud, who defeated world number one Novak Djokovic last week.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, the winner of the Monte Carlo Masters, defeated Sebastian Ofner in straight sets with a 6-4, 7-5 triumph.