The 11-time Barcelona Open champion Rafael Nadal arrived at one of his favorite tournaments, seeking the 12th title next week and leaving the Monte Carlo failure behind him.
The 20-time Major winner practiced in Barcelona on Sunday, wishing to play the Monte Carlo final but looking forward to his upcoming challenges. Rafa missed two months due to a back injury, skipping Rotterdam and Miami and returning in Monte Carlo this week. After two comfortable victories over Federico Delbonis and Grigor Dimitrov, Nadal experienced a tough quarter-final loss to Andrey Rublev, with the Russian beating the king of clay 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.
Nadal was in all kinds of trouble in the first part of the encounter, trailing 6-2, 4-2 before rattling off four straight games to increase his chances and force a decider. Like it didn't happen, Rublev made a fresh start in the final set and stormed over the 13-time Roland Garros winner to oust him and advance into the semis.
Heading back home, Rafa will try to make a deeper run in Barcelona and claim the first title there since 2018, on the court that carries his name for the last couple of years. Nadal has won 61 out of 65 matches in Barcelona, securing 11 titles and standing as one of the favorites next week as well. The Monte Carlo finalists Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas will try to spoil his plans, among other notable players.
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