Rafael Nadal will be playing at the 2024 Barcelona Open after confirming it during a press conference.
There have been many narratives about Nadal recently, but ultimately, all of them miss the mark by virtue of simply being ill-informed. We don't know what's going on with the Spaniard because he rarely talks about it.
Most often, his uncle Toni drops a few hints here and there, but Nadal generally prefers to keep it down low, only sharing major announcements without updating on his progress with every minor setback.
Many assumed he might announce his withdrawal during the press conference prior to the ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona, but that didn't happen. He recently withdrew from the Indian Wells Open just days before the event, as well as the Monte-Carlo Masters.
The narrative about Nadal not being fit enough to play started to grow stronger by the day, but a report of some stellar practices in Barcelona silenced it for a while. The press conference spiked everybody's anxiety, but everybody could breathe now because he announced that he will be competing at the tournament.
"I came here a bit of a last minute decision, because I didn't know if I was going to be able to play. Tomorrow I will be on the court"
He carefully chose his words because he still seems unsure of how things will go. We saw it in the United States: He played at the Netflix Slam but then withdrew from the Indian Wells Open.
Something similar may happen in Barcelona, but the hope is that it doesn't come to that. Nadal also added that he's happy to be in Barcelona because this might be the final year for him.
"For me it is a gift to be able to be in Barcelona, I take it as my last year and I want to enjoy every moment. My feelings have been better than those I was having in Mallorca. I feel ready to compete but we'll see what happens."
0 Comments