(Paris) Less than a week after withdrawing from the Monte-Carlo tournament, Rafael Nadal posted a message on his X account on Monday evening, where he declared having trained on the court for the Barcelona tournament and hoping to make his return to competition during the Catalan tournament (April 15-21).
“Hello from Barcelona. First training… with the hope of being there these days before the start of the tournament,” writes the former world No.1, now aged 37, in a message accompanied by a photo of him. seen sitting on the bench at the edge of a court at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899, changing the grip of his racket.
“I’m here to see how it goes… with the desire to try to play,” Nadal continues, before specifying that “it’s important to say that I don’t want to confirm that I will play, but that I ‘hope. We’ll see “.
The Spaniard, who will celebrate his 38th birthday on June 3 in the middle of Roland-Garros, has only played three official matches since his injury in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open. It was last January in Brisbane where he was eliminated in the quarter-finals.
Since then, the one which is now only 646e World Cup has continued to postpone his return, having successively withdrawn from the Australian Open, Doha, Indian Wells and Monte-Carlo…. Invoking the same reason each time: “my body doesn’t allow me”.
A body that has been tormented for years by a player who has been fighting for two years against the injuries that are pushing him inexorably towards retirement.
Barcelona is one of Nadal’s favorite tournaments, who won there eleven times, including the first in 2005, on the way to his first title at Roland Garros.