This meeting was all the more interesting because it had already taken place ten days previously when the two men met in Barcelona. In Catalonia, Nadal held on very well for a good hour of play before breaking down (7-5, 6-1). So this rematch seemed like an ideal meeting to find out if he had improved.
Humble as usual, explaining before the match that he would be “very surprised” to win, Nadal directly gave the start of a very interesting response with an entry break (2-0). Then disturbed by an altercation with the referee, he saw his opponent take advantage of his slight drop in level to come back up and take a break in advance (3-4). But if there’s something Rafa can’t lose, it’s his ability to never give up. Like a gladiator in the arena, the king of clay did not let his opponent slip away to get back in front (5-4). The victory of the first round was finally decided in a tie-break.
In the deciding game, Nadal quickly took the lead but he sinned at the conclusion and had to wait for his fifth (!) set ball to pocket the first set after more than an hour of play. Not always very consistent and a victim of several air holes, the Mallorcan then found himself in an ideal position to win his most beautiful victory since November 2022, when he beat Casper Ruud in the ATP Finals group stage.
No doubt aware that his physical shortcomings could cost him dearly, Nadal then started the second set as he should, with his feet on the floor, directly taking an interesting advantage (2-0). If some games were then hooked, the two men did not manage to obtain the slightest break point until Nadal led 5-3. While de Minaur served for the match, Nadal released several shots that recalled his greatest hours to win the game, the set and the match. So here he is in the third round where he will face Pedro Cachin (ATP 91).
