Rafael Nadal’s comeback match: A few trademark points, aggression from baseline but rustiness shows in win

681 days since he lifted the 2022 Roland Garros trophy, Rafael Nadal returned to professional clay-court tennis on the court that adorns his name, marking his comeback with a win over the 65th-ranked Flavio Cobolli in the first round of the ATP 500 event in Barcelona on Tuesday. In front of a raucous home crowd on Pista Rafa Nadal, he took apart Cobolli 6-2, 6-3 despite showing evident signs of rustiness and being far from his usual best on his favoured surface.

The Spaniard has been absent from the tour for most of the last two seasons, ever since he suffered a hip-flexor injury at the 2023 Australian Open. Nadal announced that 2024 is likely to be his final season, but after making his comeback in Brisbane in January, injury concerns have forced him to pull out of four more tournaments this year, including the Australian Open.

But one final shot at the French Open — where Nadal is a record 14-time champion – will be the primary motivation for the 37-year-old, making the clay-court tournaments he can play before the Major kicks off in the last week of May, crucial to his preparations. Presently, he is stuck in a dilemma between needing matches and momentum to be competitive, while simultaneously hoping not to aggravate his injury-struck body.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion had to pull out of the Masters 1000 event in Monte Carlo last week, claiming he is not yet fully ready to compete, failing to serve at full pelt due to apparent abdominal discomfort.

Putting on show on Pista Rafael Nadal 🤩@RafaelNadal | @bcnopenbs | #BCNOpenBS pic.twitter.com/ITRVQP2eTZ

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 16, 2024

Despite hindrances in his service motion and lateral movement, and rustiness in his split-second decision-making, Nadal had more than enough in the tank to make Cobolli suffer, especially when he was able to arrest control of the rallies with his huge, high-bouncing forehand in trademark fashion.

Slow start

After starting slowly, Nadal would amp up the pressure on Cobolli’s serve with deep second-serve returns and plenty of aggression from the baseline, ultimately breaking twice to take the first set comfortably. The start of the second represented the Spaniard’s best period of the match, impressively holding serve by saving a break point and immediately making his opponent suffer by fashioning two break points through a trademark Nadal point – complete with a thunderous forehand down-the-line winner and his fist-pumping celebration – and converting the second.

The rust, however, emerged immediately after, Nadal losing his serve with an uncharacteristic double fault. But just as he had done throughout the contest, Cobolli failed to be a resilient presence thereafter. Nadal would break back immediately to take the advantage again, go on to construct a few impressive, high-tempo, high-quality points, and then round out the win.

The gratitude to be back and competitive were evident after the win. “Every time it is more difficult and especially when you are at an advanced age, it makes things even tougher,” Nadal was quoted as saying by the ATP Tour after the match.

“I’m going through tough moments but at the same time, when I’m able to be on Tour for a few days and practise with the guys and then be able to compete a little bit, it means a lot to me. Still enjoyable enough to keep going. I’m happy to start with a victory without a doubt.”

While a comfortable win on his return to clay will undoubtedly be a positive, the nature of the match — Cobolli made a flurry of unforced errors — will make it difficult for Nadal to assess his own level, perhaps explaining his muted celebrations. The upcoming second-round encounter against the fourth-seeded Alex de Minaur is likely to help in that regard.

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