Rafael Nadal made a tennis return at the 2024 Barcelona Open, and he's hopeful of playing at the upcoming Madrid Open.
After weeks of uncertainty, Nadal returned at the Barcelona Open. He ultimately played two matches, winning one and losing the other to Alex de Minaur. Overall, it was a positive week for the Spaniard, whose only goal for the ATP 500 event was to play and leave it without an injury.
Speaking after his loss to de Minaur, Nadal confirmed that he achieved that goal as he felt fine on the court despite the loss. He was quite dismissive of being competitive at this stage in his comeback, wanting to work his way to playing regularly before even thinking about possibly competing for trophies.
With that in mind, Nadal confirmed after the match that he's hopeful about playing at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid, but ultimately, his body will decide.
"I have to adjust to the rhythm that is appropriate to try to give myself the opportunity to continue progressing in these coming weeks. I hope to be in Madrid within a week, this is what is important right now."
While Nadal enjoys returning to Madrid, it's not his ideal court. The altitude impacts play quite a bit, making things quite fast and negating what he does best. He needs a slow court where he moves opponents around before finishing them off with a signature forehand or backhand.
As he said, he's not really focused on winning right now but more on getting through matches without suffering any setbacks. He did that in Barcelona, and if he does it in Madrid as well, he'll leave the Spanish capital as a happy man.
The goal, besides remaining healthy, is the Roland Garros. That's the major, and there are a few weeks left until then.
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