“Most Difficult Event for Me”: Rafael Nadal on Competing at Mutua Madrid Open 2021

Published 05/02/2021, 9:18 AM EDT

Twenty-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal is currently in the Spanish capital, competing at the Mutua Madrid Open 2021. The five-time champion at the event is bidding to consolidate his title win in Barcelona last week as we build up to the French Open 2021. With Novak Djokovic’s absence, the Spaniard is the top seed at the tournament this season.

During his time off, Rafael Nadal spoke about competing in Madrid and the baggage that comes along with it. He considers it as one of the most emotional events, but also termed it as the most difficult one for him.

On a brighter note, fans will be allowed to view matches from the stadiums. Due to COVID-19, audiences at events in recent months have been compromised or disallowed.

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Speaking of competing at the Mutua Madrid Open 2021, Rafa stated, “The most difficult event for me, everybody knows. But at the same time is one of the most emotional events for me, playing at home. We gonna have a chance to play with the crowd again. So that means a lot to me, no? Super happy to be back here.”

Rafael Nadal has won the Mutua Madrid Open five times

Nadal is the most successful player at the tournament. Moreover, the fact that he is a local hero adds weight to his shoulders to win the event. Having won it in 2005, 2010, 2013, 2014 and most recently in 2017, Rafa certainly enters Madrid Open as the favorite.

In the current season, Rafa competed at the Australian Open but lost in the quarterfinal in an epic thriller to Stefanos Tsitsipas. After that, he stayed away from the action and returned at the Monte Carlo Masters last month. He claimed his 12th title at the Barcelona Open last week.

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At the moment, his focus is on capturing his sixth title in Madrid. He will be playing his opening round match against the winner of the match between Adrian Mannarino and Carlos Alcaraz.

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Rafa Nadal on playing Madrid: “The most difficult event for me, everybody knows. But at the same time is one of the most emotional events for me, playing at home. We gonna have a chance to play with crowd again. So that means a lot to me, no? Super happy to be back here.” pic.twitter.com/KSEvM2QCFN
— TennisNow (@Tennis_Now) May 2, 2021

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Rohan Kollare is a tennis author for EssentiallySports. Rohan has a post-graduate diploma in Sports Management and a trophy cabinet adorned with accolades won in district and state-level tennis competitions. He has previously worked in Content Operations for Disney’s Hotstar for over a year, covering tennis and Formula One.

“Most Difficult Event for Me”: Rafael Nadal on Competing at Mutua Madrid Open 2021

Rafael Nadal has won the Mutua Madrid Open five times

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