Rafael Nadal has accused Stefanos Tsitsipas of talking ‘nonsense’ after the Greek ace tipped the 22-time Grand Slam winner to go all the way at the Barcelona Open. Nadal won his first game at the tournament in straight sets, beating Flavio Cobolli 2-6 3-6 on Tuesday.
It was a winning return to the Barcelona court for Spaniard Nadal, who looked back at his best against Cobolli. Nadal had been out of action for over 100 days and hadn’t featured on clay for almost two years, but the legendary tennis star was adamant about returning to the court in Barcelona.
However, despite his dominant display in Catalonia, Nadal has refuted claims he’s among the favourites for the title. Speaking after his win against Cobolli, Nadal said: “It’s nonsense [the comments from Tsitsipas], let’s face it, he knows that’s not the case.
“I suppose there is a lot of respect for what I have been in this tournament, but everyone knows that I am no longer a favourite to aspire to win a tournament. There is simply a story behind it that weighs heavily on rivals. To this day I am not the favorite, maybe in today’s game yes, it is possible.”
He continued: “I know that tomorrow [against Alex de Minaur] I am not a favourite, but it doesn’t matter either. These are things for you [the media], you have to write about these things, for me it is an experience playing against a top-level player. It will be a test for me, we will see how I respond.”
It comes after Tsitsipas – who recently won the Monte-Carlo Masters – heaped the pressure on Nadal by insisting he was in fact among those most likely to win the championship in Barcelona. Tsitsipas said: “I think Rafa is the favourite. I can have good weeks on clay, but Rafa is Rafa.
“He plays good tennis, no doubt about it. Also, we have other players, like Casper Ruud, who is good on this surface. The competition is great, this is not an ordinary tournament from the 500 series, it is one of the most difficult in the season.”
Nadal has a quick turnaround after his win against Cobolli, with the 37-year-old back in action against De Minaur on Wednesday afternoon. It will be a test of his physical attributes, given Nadal struggled with hip and abdominal injuries heading into the Barcelona Open. But if he can remain fit, the King of Clay could still pose a threat to whoever he is matched up against.
