"Nobody has to show me anything"- Rafael Nadal talks down Madrid Open tribute send-off as Spaniard gears up for one last appearance in home tournament

Rafael Nadal recently announced that his upcoming appearance at the 2024 Madrid Open could be his last at the event and downplayed the tributes he might receive.

Nadal has recently had tough luck with injuries. After being out for the majority of the 2023 season, he made his comeback at the 2024 Brisbane International. Nadal won two matches on the trot at the tournament before succumbing to home hero Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals, where the Spaniard also picked up an injury.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion returned to the tour at the 2024 Barcelona Open, winning his first match in almost four months. However, he lost to Alex de Minaur in the second round.

Before his first match at the 2024 Madrid Open, Nadal mentioned that this could be his last dance in Madrid. During a press conference ahead of the Masters 1000 event, the five-time Madrid Open champion was enquired about the tributes that could be staged in his honor. Nadal said that the tournament was free to decide what they wanted to do.

"I am a fairly calm person, I am not given to big things. Let them come out naturally, with peace of mind, each place will decide what they have to do as they feel. They don't have to ask me, let them do what they have to do," he said.

The former World No. 1 added that he was here to play and have fun.

"For me, everything is fine. To play, to have fun, to do it in a place where I have received unparalleled affection. Afterwards... if they want to do something well, but I am going to be just as calm and happy. Nobody has to show me anything," Nadal said.

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Rafael Nadal - "The goal is to finish the tournament alive"

Rafael Nadal at the 2024 Brisbane International

Rafael Nadal will be playing just his third tournament of the year at the 2024 Madrid Open after the Brisbane International and Barcelona Open. He will square off against Darwin Blanch in the first round.

The Spaniard said in a press conference before the Madrid Open that he wanted to give himself a chance but still heeded caution about his physical condition.

"The goal is to finish the tournament alive, in physical terms. Madrid has given me everything, so... we'll see. In sport things can change very quickly. If I'm not there to try to make it change, the change won't happen. But I'm here giving myself a chance, to see if I find better feelings," he said in the press conference.

Nadal is a five-time champion at the Madrid Open with titles in 2005, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2017.