When Rafael Nadal returned to competition four months later at the Barcelona Open, he set out to lower expectations. Nadal beat Italian Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 6-3 on Tuesday. The 22-time Grand Slam champion had not played a competitive match since January, when he was injured in Brisbane, but he easily overcame the 62nd-ranked Cobolli in 85 minutes to reach the second round..

The former world number one saw his ranking drop to 644th after missing the entire 2023 season following the Australian Open. His return earlier this year hit a snag when he aggravated a hip injury in Brisbane, but he was sidelined again and has now returned for what could be his final season.

For Nadal, a 12-time winner in Barcelona, it was his first appearance on clay since winning the French Open almost two years ago, but the Spaniard was not one to get ahead of himself. Stefanos Tsitsipas, who won the Monte Carlo Masters last week, said earlier this week that he would not be surprised if Nadal reached the final on a court that bears his name.

"I think it's stupid to say today that I'm the favourite. Tsitsipas knows it's not like that. I understand what he's saying because of what I've done in this tournament. Everybody knows I'm not the favourite to win a tournament," said Nadal, who turns 38 in June.

"I didn't know if I was the favourite today, I know I won't be tomorrow, but it doesn't matter, I'm going to play and it will be an experience to play against a top player. That's what the Spaniard wants, to continue to prepare and grow," added Nadal, who will face fourth seed Alex de Minaur on Wednesday for a place in the last 16.

After a double fault to fall behind 30-0, Nadal found his rhythm. Cobolli was intimidated by the fervent support for the Spaniard on the court that bears his name. Nadal converted his third break point in the fourth game to lead 3-1 and Cobolli saved four more to go 4-2 down. The Spaniard broke again to take the set in 43 minutes, pumping his fist in celebration.

Nadal broke again for 3-1 and served out the set after Coboli's third double fault. "It was a good start. When you come back, you can't shake off the doubts in one day, especially physically. Within what it could be, it was a good first round. I think I played the match I needed to play," Nadal told Spanish TVE.

Meanwhile, Brandon Nakashima overcame a furious Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) in the first round. The 87th-ranked American was stunned by the world number eight, who committed five double faults and saved one break point in the match. 

Rublev, the tournament's second seed, saved four break points in the second set before losing the tie-break with a long backhand. The Russian repeatedly smashed his racket on the floor and left the court in a huff. Carlos Alcaraz, Barcelona's 2022 and 2023 champion, retired on Sunday with a forearm injury.

Rafa Nadal hasn't come out and announced it, but his comments suggest that the 2024 season could be his last. His recurring physical problems are preventing him from performing consistently. He's doing his best to recover. He has repeatedly said that he's fighting his body, but the problems continue.

His wish is to be at Roland Garros next month, but he doesn't want to get ahead of himself at the moment. There's no doubting the Spaniard's resilience and determination, even if this time he faces the biggest challenge of all. Such is the respect his opponents have for him that they have made him their own favourite.