Rafael Nadal did it again. When the world of tennis began to glimpse its inevitable end and even the tennis player himself had slipped it in his last statements, the former world number one scored a great victory, which changes the perspectives regarding his immediate future. In two hours and three minutes, the Spaniard won 7-6 (8-6) and 6-3 over the Australian Alex De Miñaur, current 11th in the world, and qualified for the third round of the Madrid Masters 1000, an event in the who will face the Argentine Pedro Cachín.
Nadal and De Miñaur met two weeks ago in Barcelona, with a comfortable victory for the Australian, after an even first set and a second set without equivalences, which motivated the Spaniard to admit that when the first segment went away he already knew that he was going to lose the match because he didn’t have the energy to continue fighting. This Saturday, the story was different, as Nadal took the opening set in a tie break after one hour and 17 minutes of play, to give himself the opportunity for another unforgettable night.
A quick break in the second set further opened up the chances of the 14-time Roland Garros champion, who has maintained his serve ever since. And to close the match in style, he broke De Minaur’s serve again to seal an unexpected victory, due to the current status of both, and which opens up very different expectations about the Spaniard’s immediate future. “I always hope that things will be solved and I am still excited and excited about playing tennis,” said Nadal, who was also very measured about what happened.
“We go day by day,” he acknowledged. “Honestly, in total naturalness it is difficult to think about great things today, but the life of sport changes quickly and if I am here I give myself the opportunity for them to happen. It is a beautiful day and I will never be able to thank the affection I feel here. In this difficult time you always have the hope of living days like this and it’s worth it. That it’s here at home means a lot,” said Nadal, who before starting the tournament had said that if it wasn’t the Madrid tournament, he wouldn’t know. would have presented because he did not feel in the best condition.
