Rafael Nadal made his last appearance in the Spanish city on Thursday, easily defeating 16-year-old Darwin Blanch in straight sets to go to the Madrid Open second round.
While continuing his injury return, the 37-year-old destroyed his American opponent 6-1, 6-0 in one hour and three minutes, despite stating this week that he was not totally healthy.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal anticipates that 2024 will be his last year competing in tennis, and that this will be his final trip to the Madrid Open.
Alex de Minaur defeated him in the second round of the Barcelona Open, when he made his first competitive appearance since January.
As the Spaniard looks to regain his form and fitness before Rome and the French Open, where he is the record 14-time winner, the Australian will also be Nadal’s opponent in the second round in Madrid.
“I am hoping to do as well as possible and I hope to be competitive against De Minaur,” Nadal stated.
“For me it has always been a pleasure to play in front of you all… the support I’ve received here since the first time I played is hard to compare to anywhere else, so I can only say thank you.”
Against the overwhelming and initially intimidated American, who was rated 1,028th in the world, Nadal broke in the second game.
In the fourth game, Blanch managed to score, but Nadal broke again in the sixth when the boy blasted a forehand into the net.
During the first two break points of the second set, Blanch saved two, but Nadal converted the third to seize additional momentum.
After an enthralling rally, the ruthless tennis legend broke again for a 3-0 lead, and again when Blanch went long to make it 5-0.
With a forceful serve that Blanch was unable to control, Nadal prevailed on his second match point.
Leave a Reply