Nadal to make his ATP return next week in Barcelona.

When Rafael Nadal plays Flavio Cobolli in the Barcelona Open next week, it will be his first time back in ATP action since January.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion has only participated in one match since his hip ailment flared up after the Brisbane Open quarterfinal loss to Jordan Thompson. That match was an exhibition match.

The return of world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, a countryman of Rafael Nadal, who withdrew from this week’s Monte Carlo Masters owing to an injury to his right arm, has also helped the tournament.

The two-time defending Barcelona winner, in contrast to Nadal, receives a first-round bye because of his seeding.

Due to injury, Rafael Nadal, 37, missed almost the entire 2023 season. This season, he has only participated in the Brisbane International.

The record 14-time French Open champion withdrew from the Australian Open, Doha, and Indian Wells, where he had originally planned to make his comeback, due to an injury sustained in Brisbane.

In March, he made his only appearance since Brisbane, during an exhibition match against Alcaraz in Las Vegas, when fans noticed some back pain.

In an attempt to win a record-tying 15th French Open championship in June, Rafael Nadal, who may be in his final year on the circuit, will be desperate to avoid missing any more clay court training sessions.