The 2024 ATP 500 Barcelona is in full swing, and the king of clay, Nadal, also held a press conference, officially announcing that he will compete in the tournament to win the 13th crown of his career.
"I came to Barcelona almost at the last minute, because I didn't know if I would be able to play, but tomorrow I will play," Nadal said. In his career, the Spaniard won a total of 12 tournament titles.
He won the tournament for the first time in 2005, followed by 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2018, most recently in 2021, when Nadal was also the most successful player in the tournament.
It is worth mentioning that this is Nadal's first clay tournament after returning from injury, and I wonder if natto returning to the venue he is good at will surprise the fans!
On the other hand, in a Men's Doubles matchup, China's Zhang Zhizhen partnered Mahachi to defeat local pair Baena/Munar 6-4 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals. Previously, the two teamed up to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open doubles and won the men's doubles title at the Marseille Open. However, in the first round of singles, Zhang Zhizhen lost 5-7, 2-6 to France's Van Ascher and failed to go further.
Other Promoted Players:
Agut (6-3 7-6(8) Savlin), Brandon Nakashima (7-6(5) 6-2 Evans), Acosta, Trangeridi, Arnaldi, Mayotte, Muller, Ofner and others.
Second round matchups:
Agut vs Khachanov