The Spaniard defeated Flavi Cobolli in the first round of the ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona on Tuesday, although he has not played since the tournament in Brisbane in early January.
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He put his feet back on the ground. After an unsuccessful comeback in January, where he played just three matches in Brisbane before withdrawing from the Australian Open, the US tour, then Monte-Carlo due to recurring pain, Rafael Nadal found his favorite on the surface, Tuesday 16 April. For his first appearance on clay in almost two years, during his 14th crown at Roland-Garros 2022, the Spaniard defeated Flavi Cobolli in the first round of the ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona (6-2, 6-3).
Rafael Nadal, who seemed quite sharp, assured of his form: quite efficient on the serve (only two break points received) and regular in the rally, the Spaniard controlled the game and won without any problems. Faced with a young opponent (21 years old) who is comfortable on clay and on the rise (62nd in the world, the best ranking of his career), the “Taurus of Manacor” also had time to offer the public some nice shots to the winners along the line. whose secret he has. He broke quickly in both sets before being able to use his advantage, never in physical difficulty.
“I tried (return) several times in my careerRafael Nadal told Eurosport after the match. It’s harder every time, especially when you’re older. I’m going through complicated times. At the same time, when I can be at the tournament for a few days and train well, and then compete, it means a lot to me. It’s still nice enough to keep going.”
After falling to the 644th place in the world after two almost empty years, Rafael Nadal will face Alex De Minaur (11th) in the next round, who was eliminated by Novak Djokovic in the Monte-Carlo quarterfinals. The first test on the way to Roland-Garros, which represents the main goal of his last professional season.
