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Rafael Nadal celebrated with his iconic fist-pump after playing his signature forehand winner in his first match at the 2024 Barcelona Open.
Nadal returned to the tennis court after a long time - his first appearance since his quarterfinal run at the 2024 Brisbane International earlier in the year. He had been sidelined for an extended period this season due to a muscle tear he suffered in Australia, causing him to miss the Australian Open, Indian Wells Masters, Miami Open, and the Monte-Carlo Masters.
The Spaniard made his comeback at the Barcelona Open, marking his first clay-court match since clinching his 14th French Open title in 2022. He defeated Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and 25 minutes at the 'Pista Rafa Nadal' stadium, named in his honor.
This marked the 22-time Grand Slam champion's 17th appearance at the Barcelona Open, a tournament he has won a record 12 times.
However, what caught the attention of the fans was that during the second set of the match, the former World No.1 returned a shot from Flavio Cobolli with his signature forehand. The shot turned out to be a winner and earned him a point which he subsequently celebrated with his famous fist-pump.
Watch the video here:
Rafael Nadal will face Alex de Minaur in the second round at Barcelona Open 2024
Following his win over Flavio Cobolli in the first round at the 2024 Barcelona Open, Rafael Nadal advanced to the second round where he will face Alex de Minaur.
De Minaur, seeded fourth in the tournament, received a first-round bye and will open his campaign on the clay courts of Barcelona in the second round.
The Spaniard and De Minaur have faced each other four times on the ATP tour, with the former winning three of those encounters. Their head-to-head record currently stands at 3-1.
Their first meeting took place in the third round of the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, where Rafael Nadal defeated De Minaur 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. The two players faced off again in the third round of the 2019 Australian Open, with the former World No.1 once again prevailing 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. Their third encounter occurred in the semifinals of the 2020 ATP Cup, where the Spaniard triumphed 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.
Their most recent clash was at the 2023 United Cup, where De Minaur secured his first victory against the 37-year-old, winning 3-6, 6-1, 7-5.
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