In order to get back to his peak on the tennis court, Rafael Nadal stated that he “needs time.” In the second round of the Madrid Open at the Manolo Santana Stadium on Saturday, April 27, the 37-year-old superstar triumphed against Alex de Minaur of Australia. The score was 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 for him. Even after winning in straight sets, Rafael Nadal believed he was “on and off.” Nadal appeared uneasy during the opening set, but he managed to control himself. Nadal dropped the first four set points but won the fifth. The second set was lopsided in the Spaniard’s favor. Nadal made atonement in Madrid after losing to De Minaur in straight sets at the Barcelona Open earlier in April.
Nadal scored 71 percent of his points on his first serve, which was excellent. In addition, he struck 13 strong winners to show off his very best.
“No, no… not yet (laughs). It needs time. For moments it was a good level of tennis. I was able to do positive things. But it’s still on and off. Super happy to be able to be competitive against a great player like Alex,” Nadal said in the on-court interview after the match.
‘Can’t thank everybody enough’
Nadal needed just more than two hours to overcome de Minaur, who has been playing well. The veteran was relieved to have made it through the challenging game.
“It means a lot to me to play for two hours. The ambiance is merely a farce. Nadal continued, “I just can’t thank everyone here enough.”
Additionally, Nadal triumphed against a top-20 player for the first time since 2022. Pedro Cachin of Argentina will be Nadal’s next opponent in the Round of 32. Cachin, having just defeated Frances Tiafoe, will be full of confidence.