"I don't want to confirm that I will play" - Rafael Nadal urges caution despite first training session at Barcelona Open

Rafael Nadal returned to the practice court ahead of the 2024 Barcelona Open but gave fans no clear indication of his participation in the tournament.

The Spaniard's comeback to the ATP tour this year has been badly hampered by injuries. He returned to professional tennis after nearly a year away at the 2024 Brisbane International and notched straight-set wins against Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler before losing to Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals.

The former World No. 1 suffered an injury during his campaign at Brisbane which forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open. Nadal was expected to return to action during the Middle East swing, the Sunshine Double, and the Monte-Carlo Masters. However, prolonged recovery has kept him on the sidelines.

The 'King of Clay' recently arrived in Barcelona ahead of the ATP 500 tournament and hit the practice courts to the delight of fans. Nadal confirmed his arrival in Barcelona on Instagram but made it clear that he has not made any decision about his participation in the tournament.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion hoped to see how his training goes in the Catalan city and will decide on his participation later. Nadal wrote on Instagram:

"Hello from Barcelona 👋🏻 First training session… with the hope of being here these days before the start of the tournament. I'm here to see how it goes... with the desire to try to play. I'll tell you about it. It's important to say that I don't want to confirm that I will play, I hope so. We'll see🤞🏻"

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Rafael Nadal: "I would love to be able to play in Barcelona, and otherwise it will be Madrid"

Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Madrid Masters

While Rafael Nadal is not certain about his plan for the Barcelona Open, he is hoping to play at the ATP 1000 Madrid Open. The 37-year-old is a record 12-time champion at the Barcelona Open, winning the tournament four times in a row twice.

In a recent interaction with Spain's public broadcaster RTVE, the Spaniard said he suffered abdominal issues for a few months and is working every day to come back to the tour. Nadal is hopeful about playing in Barcelona, but if he is not able to do that, fans can expect him to return to action at the Madrid Open which begins on April 23.

"I have got abdominal issues for a few months. I'm moving forward day by day, week by week. I'm not ruling anything out but I can't say that I'll play here or there. I would love to be able to play in Barcelona, and otherwise it will be Madrid," he told RTVE.