"Rafael Nadal back at it; time to troll & fool fans" "Please stay healthy" - Fans divided over reports of Spaniard's potential Barcelona appearance

Tennis fans on the internet are divided over the reports of Rafael Nadal planning to participate in the Barcelona Open 2024.

Aside from playing in the Brisbane International in January, where he lost to Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals, Nadal has not played on tour this year due to fitness complications.

He teased his return to the court in Melbourne, Indian Wells, and Monte-Carlo Country Club most recently but issued last-minute withdrawals.

Hence, fresh rumors linked to the Spaniard's potential return to the ATP 500 event in Barcelona, scheduled to begin on April 15 drew mixed reactions from the fans online, with some sections of the tennis buffs on X (formerly Twitter) seemingly unimpressed.

"He is back at it again. It's time to troll & fool the fans once again. Vamos," a fan wrote.

"Him doing this every single tournament to get his fans hopes up is acc very funny," wrote another.

Some fans, on the other hand, have rejoiced over the reports.

"We could finally see him play on a tennis court again omg pls stay healthy Rafael," a fan stated.

Here are a few more fan reactions, with most of them expressing happiness at the prospect of Nadal making a comeback:

"Yesssss! He needs to get back into circulation and do some winning," a fan wrote on X.

"Omg. Really hope it’s true. The king is coming back," another fan stated.

"Oh, next week we are going to see another Hola a todos," a fan wrote.

"Once again puting false hopes on his fans, who buys plane and tournament tickets, etc... Just for him to retire from the event a day before," a fan claimed.

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Rafael Nadal: "I have abdominal problems since I returned from Australia"

Rafael Nadal

In a recent interview with Movistar, Rafael Nadal hinted that neither the Barcelona Open nor the Madrid Open were out of his schedule for the 2024 season.

"On a personal level, everything is good; on a professional level, it is difficult. I don't rule out anything, not even being in Barcelona or Madrid, but at the moment, I am not being able to get there due to physical problems," he said.

The 37-year-old also revealed that he damaged his abdomen during the Australian trip.

"Many people have mental problems, and I also have them when in my work I can't manage to fight for my goals, but, no, it's physical, I have abdominal problems since I returned from Australia," he added.

Nadal has notably lifted the Barcelona Open singles title a staggering 12 times in as many finals he played in.