Paula Badosa was reminded of her childhood after tuning into Rafael Nadal’s return to the court at the 2024 Barcelona Open.

After much deliberation, Nadal made his return at the 2024 Barcelona Open, the Spaniard’s second tournament of the year and his first match on clay in 681 days. His last match on clay came at the 2022 French Open final where he defeated Casper Ruud in straight sets to win his 14th Roland Garros title and 22nd Grand Slam.

The former World No. 1 has been riddled with injuries and missed out on the majority of the 2023 season. He made his return at the Brisbane International this year but withdrew from further tournaments due to a micro tear on a muscle.

However, Nadal’s long-awaited return did not disappoint as he defeated Flavio Cobolli in his opening match comfortably 6-2, 6-3 on the court named after him. The 22-time Major champion will face the fourth seed Alex de Minaur in the second round.

Paula Badosa reacted to Nadal’s comeback on social media and wrote that seeing the former World No. 1 back on the court after such a long time gave her goosebumps. She posted on X (formerly Twitter):

“Goosebumps seeing Rafa again on a track. It will always remind me of my childhood…” (Badosa’s tweet translated from Spanish)

“Having Rafael Nadal in our country inspired me a lot” – Paula Badosa opens up about the impact of the Spanish legend’s influence

Paula Badosa, who is also having a tough time dealing with injuries, is trying to find her rhythm on the court. The 26-year-old is currently competing at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. The Spaniard comfortably won her opening round match against Diana Shnaider and will next face the second seed Aryna Sabalenka.

The 26-year-old revealed how she was inspired by her compatriot and tennis legend Rafael Nadal during the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast. Badosa credited the 14-time Roland Garros champion for inculcating the ‘never give up’ attitude in her.

Badosa added that it didn’t matter how she felt mentally or physically, she was going to fight and give tennis her all.

“I promised myself I was going to fight and be a warrior on court. I think a little bit also having Rafa in our country inspired me a lot, and I started that year [2021] and I said no matter how I feel, no matter how I feel that day—mentally, physically, or how I feel my tennis—I’m going to be there; I’m going to fight, ” Badosa said (at 9:09).