WATCH: “Dream come true,” Pedro Cachin thanks Rafael Nadal for his shirt after losing to the Spaniard at Madrid Open

Nadal and Cachin locked horns for the first time in that Round of 32 match at the Caja Magica.

WATCH: “Dream come true,” Pedro Cachin thanks Rafael Nadal for his shirt after losing to the Spaniard at Madrid Open

Pedro Cachin, Rafael Nadal (Images via X)

Argentina’s Pedro Cachin‘s dream came true when he received a shirt from Rafael Nadal after giving a tough competition to the Spaniard at the Madrid Open. After a 6-1, 7-6(7-5), 6-3 loss to Nadal inside the Manolo Santana court, Cachin asked him for a souvenir. 

When Cachin asked Nadal, the latter picked up a fresh shirt and walked up to the Argentine to give him. Cachin later took to Instagram, thanking Nadal again. 

YouTube video
Thank you very much! You’ve made my dream come true, thank you. I don’t know if this is protocol or not, but I wanted to ask you, could I keep your shirt or a towel or something?
Pedro Cachin told Rafael Nadal 

Here are the posts:

FS Video

Nadal and Cachin locked horns for the first time in that Round of 32 match at the Caja Magica. Before losing to Nadal, Cachin went past Sebastian Ofner and Frances Tiafoe. The 29-year-old Argentine player has not yet advanced into the Round of 16 in any events this year. 

Rafael Nadal admits he is still struggling 

Rafael Nadal is playing in his third tournament this season, having played the Brisbane International and Barcelona Open. The event in Australia was his first tournament after an injury-marred year. The hip flexor injury he suffered during the 2023 Australian Open kept him out of the tennis courts for 11 months. 

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (Image via X)

He did not play to his full potential when he played in Barcelona after recovering from an abdominal injury. Though Nadal won his first two Madrid Open matches in straight sets prior to beating Pedro Cachin, the 14-time French Open champion admitted he is still struggling. 

I need to find a way to be able to play four days in a row and still be competitive. I don’t know if I am at that moment yet. Let’s see what could happen tomorrow. But I’m going to try. I’m going to do things the right way to try to be ready for tomorrow.
Rafael Nadal said during the press conference

The five-time Madrid Open champion will next face Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka for the first time. If Nadal wins, he will meet Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, who recorded his sixth win over Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik. 

Nadal leads the head-to-head record against the World No.4, winning five matches out of the six they played. They last met at the 2022 Mexican Open, which the Spaniard won in straight sets. 

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