Rafael Nadal tries to start his farewell tour in Barcelona; Iga Swiatek tries for a trifecta in Stuttgart

Has the week finally arrived? Will tennis fans finally have a chance to do what most of them surely don’t want to do: Start saying good-bye to Rafael Nadal?

So far, his 2024 farewell tour—he says he’ll probably retire at the end of this season—has come up sadly short of farewells. As I write this, though, he’s still in the draw in Barcelona. It would mark the 37-year-old’s first on-court sighting since January in Australia.

Rafa is the week’s headliner, but he’s not the only notable player in action. While the men’s clay-court season continues in Barcelona and Munich, the top women join the party in Stuttgart. Here’s a look at how these Top 10-heavy draws may play out.

Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell (ATP)

• Barcelona, Spain
• $3,200,000; ATP 500
• Red clay
• Draw is HERE

In Melbourne, Indian Wells and Monte Carlo, Nadal held out hope that he could play until the last minute, before announcing that his “body won’t let me.” Will his home country be the lucky charm that helps him end that somber streak? Barcelona has obviously been good to him over the years: He’s a 12-time champion there.

If Rafa does play, he’ll get a good close-up look at the tour’s new generation. His first opponent is 21-year-old, 63rd-ranked Flavio Cobolli, another in Italy’s current wave of young talent. The kid can play, but he’ll be nervous, too. If Rafa wins, he’ll face a more seasoned opponent in Alex de Minaur, who recently broke into—and then fell out of—the Top 10 for the first time. Nadal leads their head-to-head 3-1.

Unfortunately, not all the news is good on the Spanish tennis front. Nadal’s fellow star, Carlos Alcaraz, who was the top seed, has pulled out of Barcelona with the same arm injury that forced him out of Monte Carlo. That leaves Andrey Rublev as the highest seed, followed by Casper Ruud, de Minaur, and Monte Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas. The latter may benefit most from Alcaraz’s absence; they were scheduled to face off in the fourth round.

Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (WTA)

• Stuttgart, Germany
• $802,237; WTA 500
• Indoor red clay
• Draw is HERE

Stuttgart has a boutique vibe. It’s only a 500, and only 28 players are in the draw, but the best of them tend to win it. Over the years, that has included current Hall of Famers like Martina Navratilova, Martina Hingis and Kim Clijsters, and future ones like Maria Sharapova and Ash Barty. In 2022 and 2023, Iga Swiatak and Aryna Sabalenka made the final and played for the complementary Porsche that comes with the title. Swiatek drove off with it both times.

This year the WTA’s Top 4—Swiatek, Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina—will all kick off their clay campaigns on the indoor dirt in Stuttgart. Each of them has had great moments and disappointing ones in 2024.

Sabalenka won a Slam, but went out early in Indian Wells and Miami. Swiatek lost early in Australia, but won in Doha and Indian Wells. Gauff won a title to start the year, but hasn’t been in top form, especially from her forehand side, for most of 2024. Rybakina won two early titles, but has lost a pair of important finals in Doha and Miami.

None have been dominant, but none have been in full-blown slumps, either. So far in 2023, Swiatek has won titles where she has won them before. If that pattern holds, she should win in Stuttgart as well.

• Also here: Paula Badosa
• First-round match to watch: Angelique Kerber vs. Emma Raducanu

BMW Open (ATP)

• Munich, Germany
• $800,000; ATP 250
• Red Clay
• Draw is HERE

With 250 fewer ranking points, a couple million less in prize money, and without Rafa in the draw, Munich has traditionally taken place deep in the shadows of Barcelona.

That will be true again in 2024. Still, Munich has a small-stadium charm of its own, and a strong field to play in it. Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune and Taylor Fritz are the top three seeds. Zverev in particular could use a good week after an early exit in Monte Carlo.

Also here: Dominic Thiem

Tiriac Open (ATP)

• Bucharest, Romania
• $850,000; ATP 250
• Red clay
• Draw is HERE

Bucharest rounds out the all-clay week with a 250 named after the country’s billionaire patron saint. Francisco Cerundolo, Tallon Griekspoor and Sebastian Korda are the top three seeds.

Wild card: Richard Gasquet