Rafael Nadal commits himself to even 'dying' at French Open if God wants after shrugging off Barcelona Open loss

Rafael Nadal faced a second-round exit at the 2024 Barcelona Open on his comeback. But that hasn't done anything to hamper the Spaniard's sense of optimism about the rest of the clay swing.

In fact, Nadal has shrugged off the loss in Barcelona, saying that all he wanted to do this week was to see if he could get out on the court and play a tennis match — a test he successfully passed. For the 22-time Grand Slam champion, the French Open is unsurprisingly all that matters on the red dirt this year.

Facing off against fourth seed Alex de Minaur on Wednesday, Nadal produced a spirited performance but eventually faltered against an opponent who was simply too good and physically fit for him. After a tight opening set that went 7-5 in the Aussie's favor, the Mallorcan capitulated in the second to hand the match 7-5, 6-1 to De Minaur.

At his press conference afterward, Rafael Nadal asserted that it's at the French Open where he will be ready to do everything, even 'die' if that's what God demands of him.

As for the Barcelona Open, the 37-year-old admitted that he was glad to get the opportunity to say goodbye to his loyal fans in Spain in his last outing at the ATP 500 event.

"It wasn't today that I had to leave everything and die, in Paris, let it be what God wants. There I hope to be competitive and there is the moment. I have had the opportunity to say goodbye to Godó by playing," Rafael Nadal said, via Marca.

"A week ago I thought I wouldn't I could play here again. The clear message before the tournament was to prioritize not taking any risks. The important thing was to be able to play and being on the court is great news," he added.

While the left-hander is a 12-time former champion at the Barcelona Open, the French Open is his most successful tournament, having won it a record 14 times, with the last win coming in 2022.

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"It is not the week to push everything my heart tells me" - Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal

In fact, Rafael Nadal had asserted even before the clash against Alex de Minaur that his priority this week at the Barcelona Open was to make sure he gets out still physically fit, even if it meant he had to disregard his natural game.

Following his victory against Flavio Cobolli, the Spaniard had said that he was looking to do things in the "most logical way possible" to ensure no further inflammation of his injuries.

"Until the week is over, the important thing is that nothing happens. Even if it is difficult, it is not the week to push everything my heart tells me. We are going to do things in the most logical way possible," Nadal had said, via Marca.

Up next, the 22-time Grand Slam champion will be in action at the Italian Open before he goes to the French Open.