Barcelona Open: Andrey Rublev Refuses to Accept Sad Reality Surrounding Rafael Nadal’s Tennis Future

Rafael Nadal’s comeback at the Brisbane ATP Tour in January has been short-lived. A muscle tear sustained at Brisbane International ruled him out, sidelining him from various competitions ever since. However, the ‘King of Clay’ made a winning return from injury on Tuesday at the Barcelona Open. Just before the electrifying showdown against Flavio Cobolli, the 22-time Grand Slam champion appeared for an interview. “For me it is a gift to be able to be in Barcelona, ​​I take it as my last year and I want to enjoy every moment,” remarked Nadal of his sad reality. Now Rublev has made his feelings known on the comeback of the ‘King’ to his den.

Having won Barcelona Open 12 times in his career, Rafael Nadal recently stated that he just wants to enjoy every moment of his return to competitive tennis. He revealed that it “means” a lot for him to play “one more time” in Barcelona. Hinting that this could possibly be the last time he’s featuring at the Barcelona Open. What does Rublev have to say on this? “It’s a tough question because it’s tough to realize or tough to think that this can be one of our last practices or one of his last tournaments. Because he proved many times that he came back from impossible situations that now it’s tough to think that way,” said Rublev.

He further went on to add, “When he was coming back from the situation that everyone was saying, ‘Now is for sure,’ ‘Now is for sure,’ ‘Now is for sure,’ and he always was proving (everybody wrong) and he was coming back. So and now they’re not saying yet for sure, that’s for sure. So it’s tough to think that way for the moment. Let’s see when the moment comes.” 

A few days ago, he was spotted having an intense practice session with the Russian tennis star, Andrey Rublev. 2023’s Monte-Carlo Masters’ champion is one of the luckiest players on this planet who got the chance to practise with Rafael Nadal on the clay court. What did he say about this once-in-a-lifetime experience?

“He killed me” – Andrey Rublev’s first reaction after having an intense practice session with Rafael Nadal

Andrey Rublev expressed his admiration for the former world number-one tennis star. He stated that it’s always a pleasure to share the court with the legend of the game. “I mean he killed me or I mean I killed myself I don’t know, but the practice is always nice to practise with Rafa,” confessed Rublev.

Even last year, the Russian tennis star expressed his admiration for Nadal. He stated that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Spaniard proves every doubter wrong and wins more Slams before putting an end to his illustrious career.

Talking about Rafa’s yesterday’s match, the 37-year-old beat Cobolli 6-2, 6-3 in first match since January. Can he continue his legacy at the tournament and present yet another historic moment to his fans?