WATCH: Rafael Nadal disapproves of Barcelona Open fans after they taunt his 1R opponent; apologizes on their behalf
Rafael Nadal apologized to Flavio Cobolli during their first-round match at the 2024 Barcelona Open after the Spanish crowd taunted the Italian towards the end of the match.
The 'King of Clay' never looked like he had been away from action for three months as he ruthlessly crushed Cobolli's challenge in the opening round of the Barcelona Open on April 16. The Spaniard used a protected ranking to enter the main draw of the ATP 500 tournament and played his first match since January at the Pista Rafa Nadal, a stadium named after him.
The former World No. 1 used all dimensions of the court as he raced past Cobolli in the first set, courtesy of two breaks. The 37-year-old's level went up a notch in the second set as he dispatched the Italian 6-2, 6-3 in an hour and 26 minutes. This victory was aided by his excellent court coverage, use of precise drop shots, and commendable defense from the baseline.
Towards the end of the match, Rafael Nadal had a tense moment with the raucous crowd at the stadium after a fan taunted Flavio Cobolli by chanting "arrivederci Flavio" (goodbye Flavio) on the second match point. The Spaniard shook his head in disapproval and raised hands to apologize to the Italian on the crowd's behalf.
Watch the video below:
Rafael Nadal to face Alex de Minaur in 2R at the Barcelona Open
Rafael Nadal will return to the court on April 17 to play his second-round match at the 2024 Barcelona Open against No. 4 seed Alex de Minaur. This will be De Minaur's first match at the tournament after receiving a first-round bye. The Australian came to Barcelona after an impressive showing at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
De Minaur was seeded No. 11 at the Masters-1000 tournament and defeated Stan Wawrinka, Tallon Griekspoor, and Alexei Popyrin before losing to Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. He would be hoping to build upon this good form in his fourth ATP tour match against the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
Rafael Nadal previously defeated Alex de Minaur at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, the 2019 Australian Open, and the 2020 ATP Cup. However, it was De Minaur who won their last match at the 2023 United Cup.
The Spaniard is a 12-time champion at the Barcelona Open, last winning the title at the tournament in 2021. He has lost only four matches in Barcelona in his entire career and would be hoping to get more positive results before heading to the Madrid Open.