Rafael Nadal is still not able to compete after he got injured his rib in Indian Wells. The Spanish sensation had to withdraw from the ATP 500 that will be staged in Barcelona next week.
When asked about Rafa’s comeback, his team said that it’s not certain when Nadal will be back to competitions. They released the following statement:
“Rafa has just been withdrawn from the entry list in Barcelona. We don’t know yet when he will be at his first tournament on clay this year. Hopefully, soon.”
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud
With Rafael Nadal out from Barcelona, local fans will focus on Carlos Alcaraz’s performance. The upcoming Spaniard had a fantastic start to his season after winning the titles in Rio de Janeiro and Miami. However, Carlito had a rather disappointing run in Monte Carlo, where he lost in his opening match to Sebastian Korda. Alcaraz will try to bounce back in Catalunya, hoping to win his third title of the season.
Click here to see the latest entry list in Barcelona.
Rafael Nadal in 2022
Currently the world no.4, the Spaniard played his last match on the 20th of March when he was defeated by world no.13 Taylor Fritz 6-3 7-6(5) in the final in Indian Wells (draw).
This year Nadal owns a 20-1 record. The Spaniard has won 3 titles in 2022 in Melbourne, at the Australian Open and in Acapulco. Rafael was the runner-up in Indian Wells.
Carlos Alcaraz in 2022
Now the world no.11 (career-high), Carlos played his last match on the 13th of April when he lost to world no.42 Sebastian Korda 7-6(2) 6-7(5) 6-3 in the 2nd round in Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (draw).
At present, during this year the Spaniard has managed to achieve a 18-3 match record. Alcaraz clinched 2 titles in 2022 in Rio de Janeiro and in Miami.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz fought against each other just on 2 occasions. Their record is 2-0 for Nadal. The last time they fought against each other, Rafael Nadal won 6-4 4-6 6-3 in the semifinal in Indian Wells (BNP Paribas Open) on the 19th of March 2022.
You can watch the highlights in the following video.
Tsitsipas in Monte, ranking, and results in 2022
Now the world no.5, the Greek has managed to achieve a compiled 19-7 match record in 2022. Stefanos is currently competing in Monte where he beat Fabio Fognini 6-3 6-0 and Laslo Djere 7-5 7-61.
Stefanos Tsitsipas will come up against the world no.16 Diego Schwartzman in the quarter on Friday at 6:30 pm on COURT RAINIER III. Their actual head to head record is 2-1 for Schwartzman.
The Greek was the finalist in Rotterdam (ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament).
The Greek won 7 titles in his career: 3 on clay courts and 4 on indoor courts. (See the list of his titles)
Casper Ruud in 2022
Now ranked no.7 (career-high), the Norwegian played his last match on the 14th of April when he surrendered to world no.29 Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 7-5 in the 3rd round in Carlo Rolex Masters (draw).
During this season the Norwegian has a 14-5 match record. This year, Ruud conquered 1 tournament in Buenos Aires. Casper was the finalist in Miami.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud played each other 3 times. The head to head is 2-1 for Tsitsipas. The last time they locked horns, Stefanos Tsitsipas won 6-1 6-4 in the quarter in Toronto (Rogers Cup) in August 2021.
Here are the highlights.
Rafael Nadal |
Embed from Getty Images |