The most anticipated moment of the 2024 season is here! As fans were eagerly waiting to see Rafael Nadal grace the clay courts once again, he decided to be back, starting his run for the title in Barcelona against Flavio Cobolli. However, along with the fans who are not feeling tired for a second to root for the King of Clay, members of the tennis community are also finding it hard to hold their excitement back.

Minutes after the world witnessed Rafael Nadal step back on the clay court after 680 days, Stefanos Tsitsipas‘s girlfriend and WTA star Paula Badosa came forward to express her excitement, voicing every tennis enthusiast who grew up watching the Spaniard.

“Goosebumps seeing Rafa again on a track. It will always remind me of my childhood,” the 26-year-old wrote, remembering the good old days of watching Nadal’s dominant era on the clay courts. As the Spaniard appears fine enough on his inaugural match, questions remain unanswered if he manages to move ahead, blessing fans with more moments of him on the court.

It is the second time in the same year that the Spaniard tried to make a comeback. In his previous attempt at the Brisbane International, the tennis star appeared to have started well enough as he secured two massive victories over Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler.

However, the tables turned against him as he faced a defeat against Jordan Thompson in a match where he had to go through a minor yet disturbing injury in his leg. Despite keeping himself away for a complete recovery, he appears to have returned determined this time. And the world number one is ready to battle it out again!

Novak Djokovic expresses his desire to face Rafael Nadal!

Besides Paula Badosa’s excitement at seeing Rafael Nadal grace the courts of Barcelona once again, Novak Djokovic also came forward to talk about the Spaniard’s comeback. During the discussions about his recovery, the Serb recalled Rafa’s impressive achievements on clay courts.

“As a tennis fan, I want him to play at least one more tournament before he retires. We all know what he’s done on clay in his career, particularly Roland Garros,” Djokovic said. Nonetheless, he also presented deep respect for his on-court rival, saying, “We have known each other really well for more than 20 years. He’s been always like an older brother to me.”

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As Rafa continues to move ahead on the comeback journey, it remains to see if the fans will get a chance to witness one last showdown involving the remaining two of the Big Threes.