“Everything has a beginning and an end” - Rafael Nadal pens emotional message post his R2 exit at Barcelona Open

Rafael Nadal penned a heartfelt message after his second-round exit to Alex de Minaur at the Barcelona Open.

The Spaniard, who has been dealing with injury troubles since last year, made his return to clay at the 2024 Barcelona Open after 681 days. He kicked off his return with a comfortable straight-set win against Italy's Flavio Cobolli in the opening round to set up a clash against fourth seed Alex de Minaur.

After the Australian clinched a hard-fought first set, he came out guns blazing in the second, proving to be too good for the Spaniard and eliminating him in straight sets (7-5, 6-1).

Post his defeat, the 12-time Barcelona Open champion penned an emotional message on his social media, which seemed like a goodbye message to the tournament.

Nadal said that he was happy to return to the court in such a prestigious tournament that also saw him grow as a player over the years.

"Barcelona 🙌🏻🙏🏻 I played and was happy doing it on a court and special tournament, classic and traditional tournament of our circuit. A place, a club, that saw me grow as a player and where I had so many joys," The Spaniard said via Instagram.

The 37-year-old also mentioned how everything comes to an end and said that he would've liked to compete for the title one more time. He said that though it hurt, it was nice to play in Barcelona like always and ended his message by thanking Barcelona for everything.

"Everything has a beginning and an end and I would have liked to fight for the title one more time. It hurts, but it’s been nice to play here always, today too. Thank you very much for everything Barcelona ❤️ Thank you very much!"

Rafael Nadal is ready to leave everything at the French Open if that is what God wants

The Spaniard at the 2022 French Open

At the press conference after his defeat, Rafael Nadal stated that he is willing to leave everything on the court and die in Paris if that is God's will. The 14-time Roland Garros champion also said that he hopes to be competitive at the French Open.

"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," the Spaniard said, via Marca.

Nadal is slated to appear at the Madrid Open and will then play at the Italian Open before heading into this year's French Open, where he will try to compete for his 15th Roland Garros and 23rd Major title.