Rafa, who hadn’t played since the beginning of the year in Brisbane, passes 6-2 6-3 and waits for De Minaur
The emotion, the participation, and the victory. Rafa Nadal returned to play after 103 days and he did it at his home, at the Reial Club de Tenis in Barcelona, in the Code de Godò tournament, which he won 12 times. And on his field. Yes, there was Rafa Nadal on Rafa Nadal, the central defender of the Barcelona club.
sold out for nadal
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A day of celebration: tickets sold out for some time, 8000 people packed onto the steep stands that rise towards the blue sky of the Pedralbes district. Rafa beat Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 6-3 in an hour and 25 minutes of cautious, worried tennis, with the audience holding their breath and serves that practically never exceeded 170 kilometers per hour. Serving was this bruised Rafa’s Achilles’ heel, the blow that delayed his return to competition, and caution was evident.
encouragement nadal
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Rafa entered the field named after him at 4.45pm and was greeted by a loud roar. Rafa smiled, almost intimidated. He took off his fluorescent tracksuit jacket and showed off a gladiator’s body covered in a lilac suit, with bright orange cuffs and sash. The dribbles, the first ‘Vamos Rafa!’ and the start at 4.55pm. First serve at 165 kilometers per hour, then 160. The first two points lost and the ‘Vamos Rafa!’ which from the trademark battle cry of those who accompanied the Balearic tennis player to 22 Slams became voices of encouragement. Wounded, fragile, human myth. But always myth. And when Rafa finally scores a good point with a passer along the line, he explodes and the whole Rafa Nadal explodes. And then again for a smash. Released anger, fist in the sky to hit all the ailments that are affecting the end of this immense player’s career.
cobolli sacrifice
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The physique holds up, Cobolli doesn’t. Crushed by the weight of the giant’s return, Flavius took on the role of the sacrificial victim and offered no resistance. So many mistakes and a game that she quickly ran away towards an obvious epilogue. Rafa, currently number 644 in the world, won easily. Tomorrow against De Minaur will be another story, we’ll see how the tennis player from Manacor really is.
fourth game
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Which in 2024 reached the fourth match, one more than the very tormented 2023. Injuries to the psoas, abdomen, ailments of all kinds. At almost 38 years old, however, Rafa doesn’t want to throw in the towel yet. And here at home he feels protected and pampered. Today’s victory is 65 at Godò, with just 4 defeats. It was his first match on clay after 681 days, since the final won with Ruud in Paris in 2022 for his 14ç Round of Garros, and his first match at Godò after 1087 days, when he won the final beating Tsitsipas in 2021 before surrendering the scepter to Carlos Alcaraz. “Coming back is already a great thing, doing it here is special,” Nadal said at the end of the match. The tears are postponed, the warrior still wants to fight. And the physique seems to accompany it.
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