On March 2, Beijing time, the Barcelona Open officially released the news, confirming that Nadal, who is ranked 4th in the world, will play in this year's competition. This will be Nadal's 17th appearance in the tournament, and he will be on the verge of a tennis record 13th title.
"World Number 4 Rafael Nadal confirmed that he will be at this year's Barcelona Open, which will be held between 16 and 24 April this year. The Barcelona tournament is one of Nadal's favourites, and the centre court of the tournament is named after Nadal.
Nadal had a fantastic start to the year, improving his record to 15-0 this season after winning the Acapulco race. It was his best personal start, with he won his 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open a month ago. Nadal has arrived in Indian Wells for the first master game of the year, which starts on March 10.
This year will be Nadal's 17th appearance in Barcelona, with 12 titles in the previous 16 races. Barcelona is Nadal's most numerous titles outside the French Open, and if he wins again this year, he will equal his own single-event record for the Tour at the French Open.
Barcelona tournament director Ferrer was very excited about Nadal's participation, stressing that Nadal is a unique presence on the tennis court. Nadal's participation is very important for the Barcelona race and he is expected to be able to go further in this event.