Rafael Nadal: "I want to give myself the option of enjoying clay season"

Rafael Nadal has reiterated his priority of being fully healthy at the time of the clay-court season.

Nadal started the 2024 season at Brisbane International with wins over Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler. In the quarterfinals, he was beaten by Jordan Thompson and suffered an injury during the match which subsequently ruled him out of the Australian Open.

Nadal is next scheduled to compete at the Qatar Open. He said in an interview that his priority is to arrive at the clay season as fit as possible. The Spaniard said that he wanted to give himself the option of enjoying the clay court season.

"My priority objective, which is what I said from the beginning, is to arrive at the clay season at least as healthy as possible. I want to try to give myself the option of enjoying that clay season," Nadal said.

The Spaniard's last clay-court season dates back to 2022 which he started at the Madrid Open. He reached the quarterfinals of the tournament with wins over Miomir Kecmanovic and David Goffin before losing to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

The King of Clay next competed at the Italian Open where he beat John Isner in the second round. In the next round, he was beaten by Denis Shapovalov after winning the first set.

Nadal had a memorable French Open, starting with wins over Jordan Thompson, Corentin Moutet, Botic van de Zandschulp and Felix Auger-Aliassime. In the quarterfinals, he beat his rival Novak Djokovic to reach the semifinals, where his opponent Alexander Zverev was forced to retire due to an ankle injury.

Nadal thrashed Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in the final to win his 14th French Open title.

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Rafael Nadal is confirmed to compete in Barcelona Open 2024

Rafael Nadal in action at the Brisbane International

Rafael Nadal has already confirmed his participation at the Barcelona Open, with tournament director David Ferrer expressing his excitement over his compatriot competing in the ATP 500 event.

"Rafa is the greatest player in the history of this sport and the flagship of our tournament. Being able to continue enjoying him in Barcelona is fortunate, and personally, it excites and makes me very happy," Ferrer told Barcelona Open's official website.

The 37-year-old is the most successful player in the history of the Barcelona Open, with 12 titles to his name. His last appearance in the tournament came in 2021, when he won after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.