"A whole other level of greatness"; "Flex of all flexes" - Fans amused by Rafael Nadal making Barcelona Open comeback on Pista Rafa Nadal court

Rafael Nadal was triumphant in his first match in more than three months at the Barcelona Open on Tuesday (April 16). Quite amusingly, fans picked up on an interesting detail — that the Spaniard was playing on a court named after him.

Nadal had been out of action since the Brisbane International in January this year, following struggles with his left hip. The 37-year-old is in great shape this week, though, as evidenced by his straight-sets beatdown of Italy's Flavio Cobolli in the first round of the 2024 Barcelona Open.

Rafael Nadal dropped serve only once en route to a routine 6-2, 6-3 victory to reach the second round of the ATP 500 tournament. While the 12-time Barcelona Open champion's fans were in high spirits after his first-round win, some couldn't help but mention how he was playing on the aptly-named center court 'Pista Rafa Nadal'.

The show court at Real Club de Tenis Barcelona was eulogized in the name of the 22-time Major winner — by far the tournament's most successful player — back in 2017. One fan felt that the Spaniard receiving the above honor added to his greatness.

"Playing a match on the court named after you is a whole other level of greatness," they wrote.

Another fan, meanwhile, asserted that the former World No. 1 should take pride in playing on a court named after him.

"This will always be the flex of all flexes," they wrote.

Here are a few more reactions from social media:

"A player that is playing on a court named after him at an ATP 500 WHILE HE IS STILL PLAYING is another level of legendary," a fan claimed.

"Rafa back on Pista Rafa Nadal," they wrote.

"Rafa playing on a court named after him - Pista Rafa Nadal. Stuff of dreams," a fan asserted.

"That’s a hell of an entry on Pista Rafa Nadal," they wrote.

"My fav athletes and your fav athletes are not the same," a fan wrote.

"What court are you playing on? Rafa: Me," another fan wrote.

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Rafael Nadal will face Alex de Minaur for a place in the third round of Barcelona Open 2024

The Spaniard and the Aussie will face off for the fifth time on the ATP Tour

Rafael Nadal will be eager to get some quality match practice at this week's Barcelona Open with the French Open around the corner. However, the Spaniard has a tough task ahead of him as he will take on fourth-seeded Alex de Minaur in the second round of the ATP 500 tournament.

De Minaur has won 22 of his 29 matches in 2024 thus far, the highlights of which include making his top 10 debut and winning the Mexican Open in February. Moreover, he also reached the quarterfinals of last week's Monte-Carlo Masters, losing to top-seeded Novak Djokovic.

While the 37-year-old leads the Aussie 3-1 in their head-to-head meetings on the ATP Tour, he dropped their last encounter in three sets at the 2023 United Cup. The Spaniard hasn't lost before the third round of the Barcelona Open since 2003.