Rafael Nadal is back on the practice court in his home country of Mallorca. The 22-time Major winner decided to skip the US Open and stay home, working on his comeback for the Laver Cup in September. On Thursday, Rafa welcomed old rival Marin Cilic to his Academy in Manacor, with the Croatian set to compete in the Rafa Nadal Open Challenger next week. Cilic is playing his first Challenger since 2012, has been struggling with a knee injury since early 2023 and is undergoing two surgeries. Marin is playing his first match since February, and is competing in his sixth tournament since early 2023. The Croatian played in Hong Kong at the start of the season and was dealt a huge blow by Jan-Lennard Struff. Marin led 6-3, 5-2 and wasted nine match points in a terrible 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 defeat. Cilic lost to Fabian Marozsan at the Australian Open and led Croatia against Belgium in the Davis Cup. Marin traveled to Buenos Aires and suffered an early defeat to Laslo Djere.

The Croat took another break and underwent surgery in May, which kept him off the court for another three months. The 2014 US Open winner is finally ready to compete again, and Rafa may watch his matches next week. After a few weeks off the court after the Olympics, Nadal is back in training, preparing for the Laver Cup in Berlin, which starts on September 20. Rafa lost in the second round in Paris to Novak Djokovic, thus shattering his dream of winning another Olympic medal for Spain. The veteran decided to rest his body, prepare for the Laver Cup and not make any further plans. Nadal ended the 2022 season as world number 2, winning the first two Major titles, but struggled with injuries in the second half of the year. Rafa suffered another setback at the Australian Open last year, injuring his left hip in the second round and missing the rest of the season! The legend dropped out of the top 600 for the first time in more than two decades, since its inception in January this year in Brisbane.

Rafael Nadal welcomed Marin Cilic to the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor.

Nadal defeated two rivals and reached the quarterfinals before suffering a heavy defeat against Jordan Thompson. The Spaniard squandered three match points and fell in just under three and a half hours, feeling pain around his hip and skipping the Australian Open. Unable to catch a break, Nadal injured his abdominal muscle in February and withdrew from Doha, Indian Wells and Monte Carlo. Rafa returned to action in Barcelona, ​​​​where he had played 100 days since his last duel. The clay court king lost to Alex de Minaur, was not feeling well physically and hoped for a better run in Madrid. The home favorite defeated three rivals on his way to the fourth round and achieved his best result since the 2022 US Open! Nadal lost to Jiri Lehecka and moved to Rome, where he returned to his beloved Foro Italico. Rafa suffered a heavy defeat against Hubert Hurkacz in the second round, won only a few games and went into Roland Garros with zero confidence. The draw was not in favor of Nadal, who arranged his first round match with world number 4 Alexander Zverev.

Rafa fought well on his beloved Court Philippe-Chatrier in a 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 loss after three hours and five minutes, missing chances in the second set and suffering his earliest defeat at Roland Garros. Rafa was not keen on his chances on grass, skipping Wimbledon and sticking to clay, training in Mallorca and Greece ahead of Bastad and the Olympics. The veteran stopped the clock at the ATP 250 event in Bastad, where he was competing for the first time in 19 years and reaching the title fight, his first on the tour in over two years! Nadal endured a four-hour marathon against Mariano Navone, pushing his body to the limit but running out of energy for the final, and won five games against Nuno Borges. Rafa travelled to Paris for his fourth Olympics at Roland Garros. The veteran suffered another setback, injuring his right thigh and playing with a bandage on his leg.

Nadal defeated Marton Fucsovics in the first round of the singles to set up the 60th match with his biggest rival, Novak Djokovic. The Serbian was the favorite and scored a 6-1, 6-4 triumph for his 32nd victory over the Spaniard. Novak took control and quickly forged a 6-1, 4-0 lead, outplaying Rafa at every turn and sailing towards the finish. Nadal stepped in and raised his game, breaking Djokovic twice in a row to tie the score at 4-4 and giving the crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier something to cheer about. Yet Novak kept his composure and delivered a crucial break in game nine before sealing the deal with his serve at 5-4. As expected, Nadal withdrew from the US Open, staying home and preparing for the Laver Cup.

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— Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar (@rnadalacademy) August 22, 2024