Nadal recovers his punch in Madrid to believe again

The Spaniard defeated De Miñaur with great sensations to advance to the third round, where he will face Cachín

MADRID, 27 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal defeated (7-6(6), 6-3) the Australian Alex de Miñaur this Saturday in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open, the fourth Masters 1,000 of the season, recovering his punch at a high physical and game to continue growing.

The local idol and five-time champion in the capital remembered old times in revenge against his executioner last week in Barcelona. Nadal commanded both sets with a strong and constant forehand, he went up to the net, he also left winners with backhands, he had a good serve and unbridled mobility around the court. In search of the round of 16, the Spaniard will face the Argentine Pedro Cachín on Monday, who beat the American Frances Tiafoe.

After his debut against teenager Darwin Blanch, the 22-time champion undoubtedly took a step forward in everything, especially in confidence to believe in his recovery and continuity on the courts. Supported by a bursting Manolo Santana, with King Felipe VI among the illustrious spectators, Nadal had an almost dramatic first set and in the second he kept the intensity high.

In his third tournament of 2024 and after a blank 2023, the Spaniard felt more like a tennis player this Saturday at the Caja Mágica than in almost two years. A surge of faith, because he himself did not see himself victorious in the previous one, which left tension at the beginning. The Spaniard broke at the beginning but then lost his serve in the middle of a warm-up with the chair umpire. The trial by fire grew with another ‘break’ against us.

However, in a week since Barcelona, ​​Nadal’s evolution was palpable, with a winning language in his gestures because his body responded to him. The one from Manacor competed face to face with a ‘Top 10’ in the world and changed the script until the ‘tie-break’. There, with long exchanges and clenching his fist as the best sign, the former world number one had four set points.

De Minaur showed coolness and quality to tie the sudden death, but Nadal saved some more tricks in the Magic Box to score a decisive first set. The Spaniard undoubtedly benefited from that strength, to attack again from the start and walk solidly with a ‘break’ up front reading the game. The Australian had his moments, but there Nadal knew how to put one more gear in order to continue leading.

In the sixth game De Miñaur came close to breaking, but the man from Manacor came back from 0-30 which he signed with a champion’s rally. He didn’t find any more options for the rest of the Spaniards, but he did his homework with shots that he hadn’t taken in a long time. Nadal is beginning to look like Nadal and, more importantly, his farewell suddenly seems far away when many, including himself or the king, thought it could be today.

2024-04-27 16:21:19
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