Barcelona Forward Fati to Return from Injury for Mallorca Game

Barcelona forward Ansu Fati. (AFP)
Barcelona forward Ansu Fati. (AFP)
TT

Barcelona Forward Fati to Return from Injury for Mallorca Game

Barcelona forward Ansu Fati. (AFP)
Barcelona forward Ansu Fati. (AFP)

Barcelona forward Ansu Fati will return to the squad for Sunday's La Liga game at home with Mallorca, after being out for more than three months due to a hamstring injury, head coach Xavi Hernandez said.

Fati has not played for Barcelona since coming on as a substitute in their Copa del Rey quarter-final defeat at Athletic Bilbao on Jan. 20, his tenth appearance this season.

"We are going to get the squad list tomorrow (Sunday) but Ansu is going to be in it. We have seen great things with him, he is feeling well and got a good sensation," Xavi said.

"Over the last two weeks, we have seen great improvement. If everything goes well, he is going to play some minutes. He's happy, he's smiling, and he's a player who can make a difference.

"It's a shame we haven't been able to use him all these months ... I'm happy to have him back. He's a special player and he's going to be good for us in these final five games."

The 19-year-old Fati, who came through the youth system at the Catalan club, has also had to fight his way back from multiple surgeries to repair a November 2020 injury to his left knee.

Barcelona are already without Pedri (thigh), Nico Gonzalez (toe fracture), Ousmane Dembele (tonsillitis), Sergino Dest (hamstring), Sergi Roberto (muscle), Samuel Umtiti (foot) and Martin Braithwaite (COVID-19) for Sunday's game.

With the league title already sealed by Real Madrid, Barcelona are looking to finish second and secure Champions League qualification. They are currently third on 63 points, one point behind second-placed Sevilla who have played a game more.



Rafael Nadal and Spain’s Davis Cup Captain Won’t Say Whether He’ll Play before Retirement

Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Preview - Hotel Higueron Resort, Malaga, Spain - November 18, 2024 Spain's Rafael Nadal during a press conference. (Reuters)
Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Preview - Hotel Higueron Resort, Malaga, Spain - November 18, 2024 Spain's Rafael Nadal during a press conference. (Reuters)
TT

Rafael Nadal and Spain’s Davis Cup Captain Won’t Say Whether He’ll Play before Retirement

Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Preview - Hotel Higueron Resort, Malaga, Spain - November 18, 2024 Spain's Rafael Nadal during a press conference. (Reuters)
Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Preview - Hotel Higueron Resort, Malaga, Spain - November 18, 2024 Spain's Rafael Nadal during a press conference. (Reuters)

Neither Rafael Nadal nor Spanish captain David Ferrer would say Monday whether the 22-time Grand Slam champion will play singles or doubles — or even at all — at the Davis Cup Final 8, his last event before retirement.

Spain is scheduled to face the Netherlands on Tuesday in the quarterfinals on an indoor hard court at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena. The winner will play in the semifinals on Friday. The championship will be decided on Sunday.

Asked at a news conference how he has been feeling in practice in recent days and whether he is ready to play, Nadal said: "That’s a question for the captain." That response drew a smile and laugh from Ferrer, sitting to Nadal's left.

Moments later at a hotel in Fuengirola, about 12 miles south of the arena in Malaga, the question of Nadal's participation was put to Ferrer.

"I don’t know yet," Ferrer said. "At the moment, I have not decided the players that are going to play tomorrow."

The 38-year-old Nadal announced last month that he would walk away from tennis after the Davis Cup at home in Spain. He has been dealing with a series of injuries the past two seasons and has been limited to fewer than 25 official matches in that span.

"I'm not here to retire. I’m here to help the team win. It’s my last week in a team competition and the most important thing is to help the team. The emotions will come later," said Nadal, wearing the squad's red polo shirt with a tiny red-and-yellow Spanish flag on the left sleeve.

"I’m enjoying the week. I’m not putting too much attention to the retirement," Nadal said. "It will be a big change in my life after this week."

Nadal said it doesn't "make sense to keep going knowing that I don’t have the real chance to be competitive the way that I like to be competitive because my body" won’t allow it.

He hasn't played an official match since the Paris Olympics in early August. He lost in the second round of singles to Novak Djokovic and in the quarterfinals of doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz.

"I’ve tried to prepare as hard as possible for the last month and a half. I’m trying to give my best for this event," Nadal said. "When you don’t compete so often, it’s difficult to maintain the level consistently. But the improvement is there every day. I believe that."

Spain's Davis Cup team also includes Alcaraz, Marcel Granollers, Roberto Bautista Agut and Pedro Martinez.