Rafael Nadal hopes to return from injury for Barcelona Open

On Wednesday, the 22-time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal, expressed his optimism about his comeback from injury at the upcoming Barcelona Open next week.

Nadal expressed his anticipation for the upcoming tournament in a social media post, stating that he had completed his first training session and hoped to be present in the days leading up to the event.

He emphasized his desire to play and shared a picture of himself sitting courtside with his rackets. However, he also clarified that he did not want to confirm his participation, but rather hoped that he would be able to compete.

Unfortunately, Nadal had to withdraw from the Monte Carlo Masters last Thursday due to his inability to recover from an injury in time for the clay court season opener.

This setback follows a challenging 2023 season, during which he missed most of the matches due to injury. In the current season, he only participated in the Brisbane International, where he experienced a hip injury during his quarter-final match against Jordan Thompson.

As a result, he had to withdraw from the Australian Open, as well as the tournaments in Doha and Indian Wells, where he had initially planned to make his comeback.

Since Brisbane, Nadal has only made one appearance in an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas, where some observers noted discomfort in his back.

As this may potentially be his last year on the tour, Nadal is determined not to miss any more preparation time on clay courts as he aims to secure his 15th French Open title in June.

Earlier on Wednesday, the official Barcelona Open account shared a video on social media featuring Nadal, a 12-time tournament winner, practicing on the event's center court, which is named after him.

Alcaraz, another Spaniard, withdrew from Monte Carlo on Tuesday due to injury, casting doubt on the participation of the two-time defending champion in the Barcelona Open next week. The Barcelona Open is scheduled to take place from April 15 to 21.