Rafael Nadal has not yet said his last word: the Spanish champion, who is attempting a final return to form at almost 38 years old despite his battered body, offered himself a convincing victory against the 11th world player Alex de Minaur at the Masters 1000 from Madrid on Saturday.
Against the Australian, Nadal won 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 in 2h04 min in the second round.
Last week, for his recovery after yet another setback experienced at the very beginning of the year in Australia, he lost to the same De Minaur 7-5, 6-1 in the second round in Barcelona.
The Spaniard with 22 Grand Slam titles had not beaten a top 20 player since November 2022 (Ruud). On clay, his beloved surface, this had not happened to him since the final of Roland-Garros 2022 (Ruud again), the edition which he had crossed with his left foot anesthetized.
“I managed to maintain a good physical level and a correct level of play for two hours. My body held up well. It’s very important for me, appreciates “Rafa”. Now let’s see in what state I wake up tomorrow (Sunday ).”
One month before the Paris Major (May 26-June 9), this victory seems likely to increase the rating of his presence on the land beloved of his fourteen coronations. Nadal warned a few days ago that he would only participate in Roland-Garros if he felt “ready enough”. “Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense,” he said.
Under the eyes of the king and Zidane
With the roof of the Caja Magica in Madrid closed, the “Raaafa, Raaafa” chants as he entered the court, and even more so after the first game won, made the atmosphere solemn like never before, enough to give you chills. A far cry from the sleepy distraction of the emotionless first lap completed two days earlier.
With an opponent on the verge of the top 10, his fall in Barcelona the previous week, we clearly understood that we were potentially witnessing the very last match of Nadal’s exceptional career on Spanish soil. In the front rows, King Felipe, and another king, he of football, Zinédine Zidane.
“It is part of the universal history of sport,” said the stadium announcer with emphasis.
During an extended first set, 76 minutes long, “Rafa” was more than a pre-retirement legend coming to say goodbye at home. Much more, too, than a 512th player in the world, his rank of the week in the ATP rankings.
Stronger blows in the exchange, despite a certain waste, even a few strikes reminiscent of the time when he reigned as absolute sovereign on the clay, brandished fists with biceps protruding: “si, se puede”, believed in it as hard as iron the Madrid public, and the Spanish equivalent of “Yes, you can” became the anthem of the day.
Even when things got complicated, and Nadal went from a break ahead (2-0) to a break behind (4-3), conceding a blank. Even when the decisive game seemed on the verge of escaping him, after four set points flew away.
Reissue effort
Was Nadal going to go the distance, he who has only played six matches since the start of the year, only ten since the start of 2023, with the physical limitations which he makes no secret of and which are now imposed on him? The answer is yes. For at least two hours. His dazzling return from a winning backhand which gave him two match points will not contradict him.
But “let’s not get carried away by the emotion of a match either”, insists “Rafa”.
“There are things that I cannot yet do in the way I would like. I sometimes need more powerful support and I still have to be a little careful,” he describes. “I have to be tactical: play from so that it doesn’t go too quickly, to have a little more time, to attack when I can.”
Will he be able to repeat this type of effort? This is now the question that arises, before his next match against the Argentinian Pedro Cachin (91st).
Surprise exit of Stefanos Tsitsipas: the world No.7, who remained on a title in Monte-Carlo and a final in Barcelona was surprised from the start by the Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 6-4. Victorious entries in revenge for Jannik Sinner (6-0, 6-3 against Sonego) and Daniil Medvedev (2-6, 6-4, 6-4 against Arnaldi).
Iga Swiatek (6-1, 6-1 against Cirstea) and Coco Gauff (6-4, 6-1 against Yastremska) reached the round of 16 with a bang.
