Rafael Nadal's return to competitive tennis at the Barcelona Open was cut short as he fell to Alex de Minaur in the second round. The Spaniard, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, had shown promise in his first-round victory over Flavio Cobolli but struggled to keep up with the in-form De Minaur.
Despite looking injury-free, Nadal was unable to find his rhythm against De Minaur, marking only his fifth defeat at the Barcelona Open, a tournament he has dominated with a record 12 titles. Nadal, who has been plagued by injuries in recent years, had been on a hiatus since an exhibition match in March and had played only three competitive matches earlier in the year.
