 "Rafael Nadal knows his new reality, important the fans get it too")
Rafael Nadal’s trophy-laden career has been built on battling for every ball. Unlike his two long-time adversaries, Novak Djokovic and now-retired Roger Federer, Nadal does not prefer to be called the favourite at an event. The Spaniard, despite his 22 Grand Slam titles, accepts that the player on the other side of the net has an equal opportunity to win. It seemingly spurs the legend on to fight, strive for every ball and give it all on the court (and off it in preparation). Knowledge that result is never guaranteed fuels and motivates him.
But this Nadal, in this moment is different. And he knows it. It’s a player stuck between the need for wanting more matches to gather momentum while simultaneously hoping not to aggravate an already beleaguered body. It’s a player that has to shed his long-term philosophy to remain healthy.
“More than lamenting where I wasn’t able to be, I prefer to be happy that I am here,” Nadal told a news conference before the Barcelona Open , having missed the Australian Open , Doha , Indian Wells , and Monte Carlo . “On a personal level it is a gift for me to be in Barcelona. I’m taking this as my last year and I want to enjoy every moment.”
“Today to say that I am favourite I think is stupidity, (Stefanos) Tsitsipas knows that it’s not the case,” said Nadal, who turns 38 in June. Tsitsipas, the champion in Monte Carlo , had said that he wouldn’t be surprised to see Nadal reach the final in Barcelona. “I understand what he says as respect for what I have done in this tournament. Everybody knows I am not favourite to win a tournament.”
Playing just his second tournament in 15 months, first competitive match in over a 100 days and first on clay in 681 days, the Spaniard beat Italy's Flavio Cobolli in the opening round but crashed out in the second, losing in straight sets to Alex de Minaur . The Aussie proved too hot to handle - winning nine of the last 10 games.
The numbers in the second round don’t paint a rosy picture. Nadal struck 11 winners and 42 unforced errors (to De Minaur’s 21 and 26 respectively) while picking 41 points, of 100 total, from the baseline. The impact of the hip and rib injuries over the years was expected to be felt on the serve and it proved to be the case. De Minaur won 21 of 50 first serve points on Nadal’s serve and 15/23 on the second while breaking five times. Against Cobolli, Nadal was seemingly handed the match on a platter with the Italian overawed by the occasion of facing the 12-time Barcelona Open champion on a court named after him. He hit 41 unforced errors with the crowd, expectedly, overwhelmingly behind the Spaniard.
What an ovation ☺️👋
— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 17, 2024
Barcelona rises to salute their 12-time champion @RafaelNadal @bcnopenbs | #BCNOpenBS pic.twitter.com/VAriVeiRu0
Such has been 14-time French Open winner Nadal’s dominance on clay that any defeat is rare and an opportunity to collect ‘firsts’. De Minaur became the first Australian to beat Nadal on clay. “I can say I’m very very fortunate I didn’t play Rafa a couple years earlier on clay. It would’ve been a very very different result,” admitted the Aussie upon becoming only the fifth player to beat Nadal in Barcelona. The 37-year-old Nadal, who has a 535-64 win-loss record on clay, was last beaten in the second round on the surface in 2008.
The loss was bittersweet for Nadal but one that would have pleased him given the frustration of the last year and more. “At least, how things went, for me I had the chance to say goodbye here on court,” said Nadal after his loss to De Minaur. “That means a lot to me, because I probably felt one week ago that I was not able to play in this event. That would have been painful, so at least I played, I enjoyed the game, and now is the moment to keep going.”
Rafa is BACK!!! 😱@RafaelNadal @bcnopenbs #BCNOpenBS pic.twitter.com/tvmVzIlVU4
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 16, 2024
Nadal showed flashes of the old during the two matches. There were moments where the top-spin heavy forehand with high bouncing balls made life difficult for the opponents. A thumping forehand down-the-line winner was followed by trademark fist-pumping celebration vs Cobolli. But there were also moments where the balls would land short and allow De Minaur to dictate rallies. In these moments, his team comprising Carlos Moya and Marc Lopez would urge him to go ‘cerca linea’ (close to the baseline). It would work almost immediately with Rafa overturning a break deficit in the opening set but the lack of match practice would show as the contest progressed.
Nadal acknowledged French Open was, and is, the motivation for this ultimate push. A push at 37 years old with body wearing down and injuries taking a toll. A player who could run around the court and produce flashes of brilliance on both wings, struggled to read and chase down drop shots by the Australian. Such was his dominance that De Minaur won all first serve points in the second set.
“I hope to be competitive. I hope and believe I can be competitive in a few weeks,” said the Spaniard. “That’s the way that I need to proceed today, and to give me a chance to be ready at least to compete at Roland Garros.”
“At times I played at a good level and as I said, today the main thing, unfortunately, is not to win but to come out of the tournament healthy. After everything I’ve been through in recent months, now is not the time to look for heroics. You have to be realistic and do things prudently and logically. The reality is that once the first set is lost, the match is over.”
Leaving it all out there 💪 @RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/XFtp0Mfi1t
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 17, 2024
“The main thing was not to take any risks, although it goes against my philosophy and my way of understanding sport and practicing it. Today it is what it is. The important thing for me is to accumulate days of training and matches and do things as I can and be able to feel more comfortable,” he added.
Having seen Federer, and now Nadal, suffering in the late stages of their careers with injuries, it feels important that they remain healthy rather than competitive. It possibly took plenty of effort from the Swiss, and now the Spaniard, to acknowledge that they may not dictate points and matches like they used to. In similar vein, that is the feeling for a fan as well. As De Minaur hit drop shot after another to counter Nadal who was stationed well behind the baseline, it was a reality check for a fan as well. The powers of the once unassailable Nadal on clay are on the wane and it is important to simmer expectations and enjoy what a fan wants - a healthy Rafael Nadal.
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