“Moving forward with determination,” Rafael Nadal scores an impressive win in Madrid on return from injury
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Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal beat Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday, capping off a remarkable comeback from a rib injury. In his first competitive match since losing to Taylor Fritz in the Indian Wells Masters final on March 22, Nadal strolled past the 22-year-old Kecmanovic 6-1, 7-6 (4). In the next round, the Spaniard will face either David Goffin or Botic van de Zandschulp. With the straight-set victory, Nadal, who won his record-breaking 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open earlier this year, improved his 2022 win-loss record to 21-1.
“It was a really good victory”- Rafael Nadal
Nadal beat Kecmanovic in the first round in just 37 minutes, owing to two breaks. The player from Belgrade (Serbia) arrived in Madrid with a respectable 23 wins in 2022, but he did not lead until the second set against Rafa.
A fleeting moment, first owing to the rain, required the play to be halted in order to activate the Caja Mágica’s cover. Following the resumption, David Nalbandián’s mentee did not finish taking advantage of Nadal’s loss of pace. The Spaniard, who had brought the opening set back to life with four consecutive games, made a few serving errors and was levelled with a break in game six.
Rafael Nadal understood how to persevere and wait for his chance, which came in the tenth game when he broke the Serb’s service and had his own within reach (6-5). It appeared to be over, but the serve errors reappeared, allowing Kecmanovic to get back into the game and force a ‘tie break.’ However, Nadal didn’t want any surprises, so he finished with a 7-4 win and a direct serve.
“Today I was able to play one hour, 55 minutes against an opponent that was playing really well in these last months, so a really good victory, a lot of value to it,” said the 35-year-old Mallorcan after the match. “It helps me a lot to reach my final goal, which is to recover my previous health and previous fitness. I’m very excited about it.”
“When you come back after a period without playing, it’s hard. I think I’m humble enough to accept the fact that it’s not going to be perfect, that there are going to be mistakes. You have to build your game with a work on a daily basis. Moving forward with desire and determination,” he concluded.
Rafael Nadal will next face either David Goffin or Botic van de Zandschulp
The Spaniard will next face the winner of a clash between David Goffin and Botic van de Zandschulp. Carlos Alcaraz also lies in his quarter of the draw with Novak Djokovic in the same half, meaning there could be a potential semi-final between the two rivals on the cards.
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Pritha Ghosh
(414 Articles Published)