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Rafael Nadal is expected to make his first clay-court appearance of 2024 in the Barcelona Open next week.
Nadal was last seen competing in the Brisbane International where he reached the quarterfinals. He defeated the likes of Dominic Theim and Jason Kubler in the first two rounds, but couldn't make his mark against Jordan Thompson.
The Spaniard has been cautious about making his comeback on the tour due to fitness concerns. However, he is included in the entry list in Barcelona and will most likely feature at the ATP 500 event.
The former World No. 1 has an exceptional record at the tournament in the Catalan city as he has 12 titles to his name.
Rafael Nadal's next match
Rafael Nadal will take on Flavio Cobolli in the first round of the 2024 Barcelona Open. The head-to-head between the duo is poised at 0-0 as they have never faced each other on the main tour.
Cobolli has made a promising start to the season by garnering a quarterfinal finish in the Delray Beach Open and a third-round appearance in the Australian Open. He entered the main draw in Melbourne via the qualifiers and then outfoxed the likes of Nicolas Jarry and Pavel Kotov en route to the third round. Despite a spirited effort against Alex de Minaur, he fell to the Australian 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.
The Italian will enter the Barcelona Open on the back of a second-round finish in Morocco and an early exit in the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Rafael Nadal's schedule for Barcelona Open 2024
Considering Nadal is having a Monday start in the top half of the men's draw, here are the possible dates for his matches in the tournament:
Monday, April 15 - R1 vs Flavio Cobolli
Wednesday, April 17 - R2 vs Alex De Minaur
Thursday, April 18 - R3 vs Alexei Popyrin/Arthur Fils
Friday, April 19 - Quarterfinals vs Ugo Humbert/Alejandro Davidovic Fokina
Saturday, April 20 - Semifinals vs Stefanos Tsitsipas/Carlos Alcaraz
Sunday, April 21 - Final vs Casper Ruud/ Andrey Rublev /Karen Khachanov.
Where to watch Rafael Nadal live in action at the Barcelona Open 2024?
Viewers in the US and UK can watch the Barcelona Open live on the following channels and sites:-
USA: Viewers in the United States can catch all the action on the Tennis Channel.
UK: Fans in the UK can watch the proceedings live on Amazon Prime Video.
For more information regarding the broadcast of matches, click here.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
