During the first-round match at the 2024 Barcelona Open, Rafael Nadal apologized to Flavio Cobolli when the Spanish crowd taunted the Italian player near the end of the match. Despite being away from action for three months, Nadal effortlessly defeated Cobolli in the opening round on April 16. Playing at Pista Rafa Nadal, a stadium named after him, the former World No. 1 defeated Cobolli 6-2, 6-3 in an hour and 26 minutes with outstanding court coverage, precise drop shots, and strong baseline defense. However, Nadal showed disapproval and apologized to Cobolli when a fan taunted the Italian player with “arrivederci Flavio” (goodbye Flavio) on the second match point.
Nadal is set to face No. 4 seed Alex de Minaur in the second round on April 17. This will be De Minaur’s first match in the tournament after receiving a first-round bye. He is coming to Barcelona with an impressive performance at the Monte-Carlo Masters. Nadal has previously defeated de Minaur at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, the 2019 Australian Open, and the 2020 ATP Cup. However, De Minaur won their last match at the 2023 United Cup. With 12 titles at the Barcelona Open, Nadal aims to achieve more positive results before heading to the Madrid Open.
