WATCH: Rafael Nadal honored by opponent Alex de Minaur and Barcelona fans with a deafening applause after potential farewell on Pista Rafa Nadal

Rafael Nadal was honoured with thunderous applause from his second-round opponent, Alex de Minaur, and the fans at the Barcelona Open after what could potentially be his last match on Pista Rafa Nadal.

Nadal made his highly anticipated return to the court in Barcelona this week. Aiming for his 13th title in the tournament, the Spaniard kicked off his campaign with a solid 6-2, 6-3 victory over Italian Flavio Cobolli. However, his journey came to an end at the stadium now named after him, when he was defeated 7-5, 6-1 by fourth seed Alex de Minaur in one hour and 52 minutes.

With this win, De Minaur became only the fifth player to defeat the 36-year-old in Barcelona, joining the ranks of Dominic Thiem, Fabio Fognini, Nicolas Almagro, and Alex Corretja. The Australian also improved his head-to-head record against the former World No.1 to 2-3.

After the match, as Rafael Nadal exited the court in Barcelona, potentially for the last time, he was met with a heartfelt tribute from de Minaur and the spectators in the stadium, who showered him with applause and cheers.

Watch the video here:

Rafael Nadal expected to compete at Madrid Open & Italian Open after Barcelona Open loss

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal will continue his campaign on the clay-court swing following his loss at the 2024 Barcelona Open. The Spaniard is expected to compete at the Madrid Open next, which he has won a record five times. His last title win in Madrid was in 2017, where he triumphed over Dominic Thiem in the final.

The former World No.1 will then compete at the Italian Open, a tournament where he has claimed the men's singles title a record 10 times. His last title win in Rome was in 2021 when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the championship match.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion also holds the record of winning the Italian Open three consecutive times. He first won the tournament in 2005 when he defeated Guillermo Coria, then in 2006 when he defeated Roger Federer. His third title came in 2007 when he defeated Fernando Gonzalez.

Nadal will then set his sights on the French Open, where he has made history by winning the title a remarkable 14 times. He last won the claycourt Slam in 2022 by defeating Casper Ruud in the final.