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Rafael Nadal will be in the company of his wife Maria Francisca Perello and son as he is poised to play his first match since January at the 2024 Barcelona Open this week.
Nadal, who has not played a competitive match since his defeat to Jordan Thompson at the 2024 Brisbane International, is eyeing a comeback to the tour in Barcelona. The Spaniard will take on Flavio Cobolli in the first round.
The former World No. 1 will have his wife and son by his side to cheer him on. Recently, a video of Rafael Nadal Jr. holding a tennis racket was uploaded by an X (formerly Twitter) user where the 22-time Major champion was seen entertaining his son. Another video showed Maria carrying her baby boy in her arms.
Watch the videos below:
Following his exit from the Brisbane International, Nadal withdrew from the Australian Open and Qatar Open due to a minor hip injury. He also pulled out of the Indian Wells and Miami Masters.
The Spaniard was hoping to make a comeback in Monte-Carlo but later withdrew, although he did play an exhibition match with Carlos Alcaraz earlier in March.
Rafael Nadal trained in Barcelona before engaging with fans
Rafael Nadal reached Barcelona and began his practice for the 2024 Barcelona Open and took to Instagram to inform fans about his training. The Spaniard, however, did not confirm if he would play or not, mentioning that he still had a desire to compete.
He wrote:
"Hello from Barcelona. First training session… with the hope of being here these days before the start of the tournament. I'm here to see how it goes... with the desire to try to play. I'll tell you about it. It's important to say that I don't want to confirm that I will play, I hope so. We'll see." translated from Google Translate.
'The King of Clay' also took some time to interact with his fans as he signed autographs and clicked selfies.
"Thank you," he wrote on Instagram.
Today (April 14), Nadal posted videos from his practice sessions on his Instagram story where he was seen hitting his trademark forehands.
Nadal seemed poised to make a comeback at the 2024 Barcelona Open with his match scheduled to be played on Tuesday (April 16).
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
