Rafael Nadal made an emphatic return to clay, cruising to a 6-2 6-3 win over Flavio Cobolli in the first round of the Barcelona Open.
The 37-year-old ended an almost two-year wait to compete on the surface once again after winning the 2022 French Open men’s singles final, and dispatched the Italian in the space of one hour and 25 minutes.
After already missing the Australian Open, Indian Wells and the Monte-Carlo Masters, the 22-time Grand Slam winner rolled back the years in Catalonia.