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Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after winning championship point during his Men’s Singles Final against Novak Djokovic of Serbia on day fifteen of the 2020 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
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Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after winning championship point during his Men’s Singles Final against Novak Djokovic of Serbia on day fifteen of the 2020 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
The 2021 Barcelona Open will celebrate its 68th edition this year. To ring in the celebrations, World No. 3 Rafael Nadal has confirmed his participation in the ATP 500 clay-court tournament.
Having won a record 11 titles at the Barcelona Open, Nadal is the most successful player in the tournament’s history. Given his extraordinary success, the club named the center court ‘Pista Rafa Nadal’ in 2017.
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MONTE-CARLO, MONACO: Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a forehand against Guido Pella of Argentinain their quarter final match during day six of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters at Monte-Carlo Country Club in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal and his love affair with Barcelona
In an official statement, the sports director of the tournament David Ferrer said that Nadal’s confirmation was a tremendous boost for the Barcelona Open. Being his former rival, Ferrer has played against Nadal four times in the Barcelona Open final and has lost on each occasion.
Last year, the Barcelona Open got canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, Ferrer feels that Nadal’s presence becomes even more crucial for the tournament.
“Rafa’s presence in Barcelona is very important for the tournament and he will be even more so after the cancellation of last year’s edition. What Nadal has done throughout his career is something amazing and unique,” said Ferrer.
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ROME, ITALY: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates against Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia in their Men’s Singles Round of 16 match during Day Five of the International BNL d’Italia at Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Over the last decade and a half, Nadal has become the most successful player in clay-court history. Last year, he won the French Open title for a record 13th time in his career, which is the most number of times any player has won a single Grand Slam.
Expressing his admiration for Nadal’s achievements, Ferrer mentioned that such a phenomenon has never swept the tennis world and the fans should enjoy it while it lasts.
“We must explain to all the fans that what we have seen with this player is not going to be repeated. Rafa is a legend of this sport and we have to enjoy him while we can,” added Ferrer.
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PARIS, FRANCE: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after winning a point during his Men’s Singles Final against Novak Djokovic of Serbia on day fifteen of the 2020 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
It will be the sixteenth time Nadal will compete at the Barcelona Open. The Spaniard has an 11-0 record in the finals of the tournament.
In the 2019 edition, Dominic Thiem won the Barcelona Open title by defeating Nadal in the semifinals and Daniil Medvedev in the finals. However, instead of defending his Barcelona Open title this year, Thiem will compete at the Serbian Open, which will be played on the same dates.
