Rafael Nadal suffered to reach the second round of the Masters 1000 in Rome on Thursday but the Spaniard, engaged in a race against time to regain his best level for his probable last Roland-Garros, gave a very positive assessment of his day.
For his return to Rome, after two years of absence, “Rafa”, now 305th in the world after his almost blank 2023 season, was not exempt from the first round for the first time since 2006.
While the other big names are still training on the courts of the Foro Italico, before their entry into the competition on Friday or Saturday, the Spaniard inherited a first opponent, Zizou Bergs, an uninhibited Belgian from the qualifications, who gave him posed some problems.
It took him three sets 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and two hours and 53 minutes of play to overcome the 108th in the world who has never yet won a match in a Masters 1000.
On his service games in particular, the ten-time winner of the Roman tournament, still cautious about his plays because of the abdominal injury which disrupted his start to the year, often found himself under pressure with nine break points.
“A very good day”
“It’s really a very good day, even if I didn’t play well,” he insisted at a press conference.
“I didn’t play the way I think I could play, but I found the solution to win. It gives me the opportunity to play another match and be able to play better,” insisted the Mallorcan.
Returning on tiptoe to Barcelona last month, after a forced three-month break, Nadal, who will turn 38 in June, seems to have entered a new phase of his “come back” operation since he arrived at Rome, with family.
He displays his determination and optimism, while he remains eliminated in the second round in Barcelona and in the round of 16 at the Masters 1000 in Madrid.
“What is important for me is that I can play one tournament after another. I also serve better, I find myself faster, but I still have to correct things, I am too far from the baseline for example,” he admitted.
Moutet will challenge Djokovic
Less than three weeks before returning to Roland-Garros (May 26-June 9) where he has been crowned 14 times, the former world No.1 seems determined to take all the risks to shine one last time on clay. Parisian.
“I still have apprehensions about certain movements that involve muscles and parts of my body where I have been injured. But I have arrived at the moment where these fears must disappear, when I push my body to its limits , that I take risks,” he insisted.
“If something happens to me, then too bad,” concluded the player with 22 Grand Slam titles who will have a hell of a test in the second round against the Pole Hubert Hurkacz, world No.9.
His great rival, world No.1 Novak Djokovic, knows the name of his first Roman opponent: it is the Frenchman Corentin Moutet (83rd) who, drafted with the status of “lucky loser” after being eliminated from qualifying, overthrew Russian Roman Safiullin 3-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-2.
Bad news on the other hand for the French No.1 and 15th in the world Ugo Humbert who, injured in a knee, had to forfeit and for Arthur Rinderknech who fell from the start 6-7 (3/7), 7-5, 7 -6 (9/7) against the Italian Francesco Passaro despite three match points at the end of a match played over two days.
