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The Barcelona Open tournament director David Ferrer is 100% sure that Rafael Nadal will compete at one of his favorite tournaments in a couple of weeks. Rafa is recovering from a hip injury experienced at the Australian Open, missing two months of action and doing his best to compete again in Monte Carlo.
That's still uncertain, but a 22-time Major champion should be fine ahead of Barcelona, entering the court that carries his name for the 17th year! Thus, Nadal will play in Barcelona two decades after debuting at 16 in 2003.
Rafa has won 66 out of 70 matches at the prestigious ATP 500 tournament, lifting 12 titles for complete domination. Rafa fell to Alex Corretja in three sets in 2003 and returned stronger two years later. Nadal won five consecutive Barcelona titles between 2005 and 2009.
He skipped the 2010 edition and claimed three straight titles without losing a set between 2011 and 2013. Rafa's second and third Barcelona losses came in 2014 and 2015 before reigning again between 2016 and 2018, winning all 15 matches in straight sets.
Nadal's fourth and last Barcelona loss came in the 2019 quarter-final against Dominic Thiem.
Rafael Nadal will compete in Barcelona for the 17th time.
Rafa's 12th Barcelona title came in 2021 following an epic 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 triumph over Stefanos Tsitsipas in three hours and 37 minutes!
Nadal fended off a match point and remained perfect in the Barcelona Open title matches. The Spaniard saved a match point in the final set's tenth game and prevailed in the most extended best-of-three final since the start of the ATP Tour in 1990!
Rafa saved 11 out of 13 break chances and produced four breaks that sent him over the top. He survived that match point and rattled off the last three games to leave the opponent behind and bring the trophy home. Nadal missed the Barcelona Open last year due to an injury, returning to the court in May and securing his 14th Roland Garros crown.
The Spaniard reached the Wimbledon semi-final before everything became a disaster for him. Rafa has played only 13 matches since the last August, struggling to compete injury-free and leaving the top-10 for the first time in almost 18 years!
"Rafa Nadal is training intensely. We do not know if he will recover in time for Monte Carlo, but he will surely be in Barcelona," David Ferrer says.
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