Nadal on the program not before 4:00 p.m. in Barcelona!

Rafael Nadal makes his return to competition this Tuesday on the clay courts of Barcelona. The 12-time winner of the tournament faces 21-year-old Italian Flavio Cobolli, ranked 62nd in the world, in the first round. Both men will enter the Pista Rafa Nadal (center court) at 4:00 pm (local time) at the earliest, but more likely not before 5:00 or 5:30 pm, after the conclusion of the preceding matches.

Nadal has not played competitively since the ATP 250 in Brisbane last January. There, he reached the quarter-finals, but re-injured his left hip. His left hip had already ruled him out of the 2023 season. Since January, he had wanted to make a comeback at Doha (February 19-25), then Indian Wells (March 6-17) and finally Monte-Carlo (April 7-14), but had to pull out at the last minute because he didn't feel ready.

Things look different this Tuesday in Barcelona. All the lights seem to be green, or almost green, for the former world No.1. He spent the whole of last week training hard on the ochre courts of Catalonia, and has rediscovered his tennis sensations. Andrey Rublev can testify to this. The Russian played a practice set with the Spaniard on Saturday, losing 6-1. It remains to be seen whether Nadal will prove as convincing in competition mode.