Spain’s legendary tennis star Rafael Nadal apologised on behalf
of the fans at the Barcelona Open. The 37-year-old is often regarded as one of
the greatest players in the history of tennis in the men’s singles category,
having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles.
Nadal, in the recent past, has struggled with injuries and it
was because of this reason he missed nearly the whole of the 2023 season. He
returned to action earlier this year but once again injured himself in the
Brisbane International which led him to miss the first Grand Slam of the year — the Australian Open — along with three ATP 1000 events — Indian Wells, Miami Open
and the Monte-Carlo Masters.
The former world number one once again returned to action in
the ongoing Barcelona Open on Tuesday where he defeated Italy’s Flavio Cobolli
in the round of 64 clash in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-3. In a video
that was available on social media, Nadal was seen nodding his head and raising
his hand to apologise on behalf of the fans as they chanted ‘arrivederci Flavio’
which means ‘goodbye Flavio’ just before the second match point. He will now
face Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the round of 32 clash on Wednesday.