WATCH: Rafael Nadal greeted by 1000s of fans chanting his name ahead of Spaniard's blockbuster Madrid Open 2R clash

Rafael Nadal was greeted with an enthusiastic reception as he stepped onto the clay court at La Caja Majica stadium in Madrid for his second-round match against Alex de Minaur at the ongoing Mutua Madrid Open on April 27.

Watch the crowd welcome the five-time Madrid Open champion to the court below:

Nadal was devastating against 16-year-old American Darwin Blanch in his first-round match, cruising to a 6-1, 6-0 win over the youngster. The win helped the 22-time Grand Slam winner set up a clash against tenth seed Alex de Minaur, who got the better of the Spaniard at the Barcelona Open.

Multiple injury setbacks have put a spanner in the works as far as the twilight phase of Nadal's career goes. The Spaniard sustained a serious hip injury at the 2023 Australian Open, which saw him miss out on the remainder of the season.

The former ATP World No. 1 returned to action at the beginning of this season at the Brisbane International. However, his run in Brisbane came to an end in the quarterfinals as Jordan Thompson got the better of him.

More importantly though, he sustained a fresh injury that saw him withdraw from the Australian Open, the Qatar Open, the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, the Miami Open, and the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Nadal has repeatedly told the media that he is yet to return to full fitness despite making yet another comeback.

Rafael Nadal's showdown with Alex de Minaur got off to a tense start as the Spaniard clashed with the chair umpire

Rafael Nadal in action against Alex de Minaur at the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open

Nadal, who has historically almost always maintained a level of calm and composure unlike any other tennis player, seemed to lose his temper early on during his Madrid Open second-round match against Alex de Minaur.

The Spaniard stormed to a 2-0 lead in the first set, which he eventually went on to win 7-6(6). However, during the third game, he got involved in a tense exchange with the chair umpire after stopping play, with the belief that a shot from de Minaur had landed out.

Unfortunately for Nadal, the chair umpire's call went against him. The infuriated Spaniard at once made his way to the chair umpire and demanded an explanation. According to the umpire, Nadal did not vocally challenge the decision quickly enough. At this point, the Spaniard turned vehement and called for the supervisor.