“Rafa is back, let’s see how far he can go,” Daniil Medvedev doesn’t rule out the possibility of Rafael Nadal winning titles

Rafael Nadal crashed out of Italian Open after losing to Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets.

“Rafa is back, let’s see how far he can go,” Daniil Medvedev doesn’t rule out the possibility of Rafael Nadal winning titles

Daniil Medvedev(L) and Rafael Nadal(R) (Via Imago)

Arguably Rafael Nadal’s final career tour has been encouraging but not as expected. The Spanish legend has yet to get past the quarterfinals of any tournament and seems to be struggling with his body. Nevertheless, Daniil Medvedev hasn’t written him off, as he leaves the door open for surprises.

Nadal’s comeback early this year was exciting to fans but the Spanish star exited in the quarterfinals in Brisbane after eleven months away. He withdrew from the Australian Open due to an injury and went on to skip the Indian Wells and Monte Carlo Masters claiming that he was not fully ready.

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He returned fully for his final season in Barcelona but despite a second-round exit he was motivated to play at the Madrid Open. At Madrid, he won three matches but lost in the round of 16 and was given a deserved farewell silverware.

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However, it is still difficult to clearly state that the 37-year-old would go on to win anything this season but Daniil Medvedev believes he is still a threat. The Russian admitted that beating Nadal is difficult and is willing to see how far he goes this season.

I think in every sport you can see it where you are up against someone really strong, and the moment you think maybe they become weaker, or at least you feel like it, there are new guys coming that try to beat you, and manage it to do it sometimes. For me it’s a big challenge to try to beat these guys, Novak, Rafa is still there – I wanted to say only Novak, but no, Rafa is back, let’s see how far he can go.
Daniil Medvedev said in a recent interview in Rome

Meanwhile, Medvedev began his Rome title opener beating British Jack Draper in the second round of the tournament. He will be hoping to win his first title of the season after reaching the final twice this season.

Rafael Nadal’s Rome exit leaves Roland Garros participation in doubt

Rafael Nadal crashed out of the Italian Open in Rome after losing to World No.9 Hubert Hurkacz in the second round. The 37-year-old even struggled to beat Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs in the first round.

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (Image via X)

The 10-time Italian Open champion began the match well with 1-1 in the first set but shockingly allowed Hurkacz to win the next five game points without much challenge. He tried to put pressure on the Polish star but it was too late.

Hurkacz ended up winning the match 6-1, 6-3 in just 93 minutes. Nadal’s performance now places his Roland Garros participation on probability as he has yet to decide whether to compete or not.

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