Rafael Nadal will return to compete in the ATP 500 in Conde de Godó

Barcelona. Rafael Nadal will compete again for the first time since January in the ATP 500 Conde de Godó tournament in Barcelona, ​​in which he will face the Italian Flavio Cobolli in the first round, after the draw held this Saturday.

The 37-year-old Spaniard, with 22 Grand Slam titles under his belt and a 12-time winner in Barcelona, ​​suffered a thigh injury in the Brisbane tournament last January and since then has had to successively withdraw from several tournaments, such as the Australian Open, Doha, Indian Wells, Miami or more recently the Monte Carlo Masters 1000.

His compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, who also resigned from the Monegasque tournament last week due to an arm injury, will also participate in the Barcelona tournament.

In the last two years, injuries have marked Nadal’s career, to the point of putting him on the verge of retirement.

His big goal for 2024 is Roland Garros, the Parisian tournament in which he built his legend with 14 titles, before eventually participating in the Paris Olympic Games.

And Barcelona is presented to the Mallorcan as a first step towards those two objectives.

“I am happy to be here, obviously, Barcelona is a place that has given me a lot of joy, where I have spent times of my life. [Real Club] Tennis Barcelona is my club, I am enjoying being here these days,” Nadal commented during the draw, according to the ATP on its website.

“During the last two years there have been very few days on the circuit, so spending days here, seeing people and being able to train with players is already a joy,” he added.

During the draw on Saturday, in which he acted as the innocent hand, he was paired in the first round with the Italian Flavio Cobolli, current world number 16, whom he has never faced before.

If he goes to the second round, he could face the Australian Álex de Miñaur (N.11) and one of his possible rivals in the semifinals would be Carlos Alcaraz (N.3), first seed during this tournament.

Recovered from the injury to his right arm that forced him to give up the Monte Carlo Masters 1000, Carlitos will enter the fray from the second round.