Rafael Nadal is currently playing in what will be his last Madrid Open. The Tour had been deprived of Rafa for over a year, and the youngsters had probably forgotten the attention his presence commanded. However, they were reminded of how it felt to have him in the locker room as Joao Fonseca dives into sharing the space with him.

Fonseca celebrated his first ATP Masters 1000 win Thursday, defeating Alex Michelsen 4-6, 6-0, 6-2. Overflowing with joy, his win felt even sweeter after a pep talk from tennis journalist Jose Morgado. The two talked about the Spanish star’s comeback.

“Talked with Fonseca after the match. He is playing the first tournament as Nadal for the first time and said players in the locker room look at him like “if he was a God”. Excited to pretty much confirm he will play a Grand Slam in his first months as a pro. If not RG, Wimby,” Jose tweeted.

Winning 61 per cent of his second-serve return points(according to Infosys ATP Stats), the Brazilian expressed of his Madrid opener play, “I’m very, very happy with the way that I played.” Moreover, following his fifth tour-level win on Thursday, Joao credited the audience for helping his performance turn out well. “The crowd really helped me to [make] this transition, to be more solid. The crowd helped a lot…I played well.”

Fonseca has impressive results this year, reaching the quarterfinals of two tournaments: a 500-level event in Rio and a 250-level event last week in Bucharest. While Morgado is quite happy that the 22 time grand slam champion has a significant effect on the youngster, with each passing day, even he is unsure whether Rafa will play in the French Open.

Rafael Nadal ‘will not play’ French Open if situation doesn’t improve

Nadal gave an interview before the Madrid Open in which he discussed how it feels to be back on the scene. Aside from expressing that his comeback is motivated by excitement, he seems to be dissatisfied with his present performance. “If I can play, I play. If I can’t play, I can’t. It won’t be the end of the world or the end of my career,” he remarked, raising questions about his future involvement.

Touching upon his appearance in the Roland Garros, Rafa said, “If I arrive Paris the way I feel today, I will not play. I will play Roland Garros if I feel competitive,” making his most-awaited tournament doubtful.

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Rafa displayed absolutely smashing tennis as he sent Darwin Blanch home 6-1, 6-0. However, his next match with Alex De Minaur will decide his fate in the ongoing clay swing. Will he show the same dominance against the player who eliminated him in the Barcelona Open?