Rafael Nadal shines in Barcelona return, breaks Flavio Cobolli four times to advance

Before Tuesday, Rafael Nadal hadn’t appeared on a clay court since celebrating his 14th triumph at 2022 Roland Garros.

So it was perhaps fitting that the 22-time major champion's highly-anticipated return to the surface came on the show court bearing his name at the Real Club Tenis de Barcelona-1899. Playing his first match in more than 100 days, Nadal navigated his way past Flavio Cobolli, 6-2, 6-3, to advance at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

A 12-time title holder at the event, the left-hander’s first and second serve speeds were noticeably down when he opened play inside Pista Rafa Nadal. Nadal won four consecutive points after falling behind 0-30 on the back of a double fault and held much more comfortably the next time around to settle into the contest.

From a powerful inside-out winner to reach deuce to a curled crosscourt strike to shorten the court on the following point, Cobolli showed why the forehand is his preferred side in the fourth game. Nadal adjusted by directing more rally balls to his opponent’s backhand and on his third chance to break, moved ahead 3-1 when the Italian couldn’t thread the needle on his two-hander.

Cobolli avoided falling behind 5-1 by staving off four break points, but was unable to shake off inconsistent hitting. Nadal denied him a game point with an off-balanced backhand crosscourt winner, before the 21-year-old netted consecutive shots to end the set. Of the 34 points Nadal won, 27 were courtesy of unforced errors from across the net.

The 37-year-old wiped away the first break point he faced with a forehand drop shot winner before holding to launch set two. Having won the first point against Cobolli’s serve, trademark Rafa emerged with turning defense into offense through an explosive forehand on the run down the line, Nadal let out a fist-pumping “Vamos!”

Soon Cobolli’s inside-out forehand landed just out to fall behind 0-2, igniting a stretch of three consecutive games for the returner. Nadal double-faulted and then sailed a backhand long to drop serve for the first time, before the world No. 62 tossed in his own double fault to hand over the re-break.

While his first-serve percentage dropped over time, Nadal encouragingly clocked 116 m.p.h. as he neared the finish line—matching his average speed in 2022. After Cobolli held at love, the home favorite comfortably served out the win.

Awaiting him the second round is one of 2024’s standout competitors: No. 4 seed Alex de Minaur.