After spending three rounds at the Masters 1000 in Madrid, Rafael Nadal ended up losing in the round of 16 this Tuesday evening, beaten by the young Czech Jiri Lehecha (7-5, 6-4).
“Gracias Rafa”: Rafael Nadal, who is attempting a final return to the forefront at almost 38 years old despite his battered body, was eliminated in the round of 16 of the Masters 1000 in Madrid by the young Czech Jiri Lehecha (31st) 7-5, 6-4, this Tuesday evening.
Barring any further developments, the Spaniard with 22 Grand Slam titles is in his last season on the circuit and should no longer play an official match in the Spanish capital. Before his defeat on Tuesday evening, he had just won three matches in a row on Madrid clay, a series without precedent since the summer of 2022.
The whole audience behind him
But against the solid Lehecka, the march was too high, despite the encouragement of the Madrid public. Even when his favorite has just been broken at the start of the second set, Madrid still wants to believe it and shouts: “Si se puede, si se puede” (you can do it), chants the Caja Magica. And in almost every game, she resumes her haunting refrain. One last time, more beautiful and with a standing ovation, when Lehecka is about to serve to win the match.
“Come on Rafa, we’re in no hurry,” a spectator had just said a little earlier, at almost midnight. But no, for the Mallorcan left-hander, that is no longer possible. Playing a fourth match in six days, the second in 24 hours after a duel lasting more than three hours the day before, is too much when his body has hardly given him any respite for almost two years (again in January, a previous attempt left him sidelined for three months).
After Barcelona in mid-April where he had spent a tour, his week in Madrid, with four matches played, three of which he won, including against a player in the top 20 (the Australian Alex De Minaur), nevertheless increased his mileage considerably.
What decision for Roland-Garros?
Will it provide him, at least in part, with the guarantees he wants in view of Roland-Garros, in less than a month? We’ll have to wait to find out. Nadal is now expected in Rome (May 8-19), for the last Masters 1000 on ocher before the Parisian Grand Slam. It is after this Italian tournament that he will decide on his presence or not at the Porte d’Auteuil, where he has been crowned 14 times.
He has clear ideas: he will only play Roland-Garros (May 26-June 9) if he feels “ready enough”, he repeated throughout the Madrid tournament. “Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense,” he said.
“Thank you for all these years”
Up to 5 games throughout the first set, Nadal did more than hold his own: he was even the most dangerous, twice leading 0-30 on Lehecka’s serve and obtaining the first break point of the game, 5 games to 4 – in vain. Lehecka then scored ten consecutive points and pocketed the first set.
Nadal’s luck had passed, the combativeness which made his legend not gone yet. He ended up losing in a little over two hours, with a final backhand mistake. It was three past midnight. “Gracias Rafa,” the screens around the court immediately displayed.
“Thank you for all these years of emotions. We love you,” could we read on a Spanish flag hanging from a railing of the stadium.
From Wednesday afternoon, the Spanish public will be able to console themselves with the new winning face of Iberian tennis, Carlos Alcaraz. The world No.3 and double title holder narrowly emerged victorious 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/4) against the German Jan-Lennard Struff, in a reissue of the 2023 final. For a place in the last four, he will face world No.8 Andrey Rublev.
