Rafael Nadal, who is attempting a final return to form at almost 38 years old despite his battered body, reached the round of 16 of the Masters 1000 in Madrid by defeating the Argentinian and 91st in the world Pedro Cachin in more than three hours (6-1, 6-7, 6-3) Monday, one month before Roland-Garros.
The Spaniard with 22 Grand Slam titles had not won three matches in a row since the US Open 2022. He will face the young Czech Jiri Lehecka (31st) on Tuesday for a place in the quarter-finals. “I’m going to see what I’m in tomorrow (Tuesday),” said Rafa, interviewed on court. “I’m thoroughly enjoying playing here, I can’t ask for more, all this time I’m accumulating on court this week has great value for me, both emotionally and tennis-wise. »
In the previous round, two days earlier, Nadal had defeated world No. 11 Alex de Minaur (7-6, 6-3), offering himself his first victory against a top player since November 2022. Three matches won at the same time not a week, it’s as much as since the start of 2024 before the Madrid tournament (two in Brisbane in January, one in Barcelona in mid-April).
Against Cachin this Monday, an opponent ranked 91st in the world who had not won a match since October before his improvement in Madrid, Nadal did not have to bring out the heavy artillery in the first set. Everything got complicated afterwards, when his ball started to hurt less and the Argentinian found his rhythm. When he lost the second set, nailed by a passing on a serve and volley, and the clock showed 2 hours and 12 minutes of the match, we were worried about the Majorcan’s ability to withstand the shock, with his physical limitations. from the moment he exposed. But he found the resources to get through it as best he could in 3h04.
This third victory in a row, in pain, increases Nadal’s mileage as he approaches Roland-Garros (May 26 – June 9), the beloved land of his fourteen triumphs. He had warned at the start of the week that he would only set foot on the Parisian ocher if he felt “sufficiently ready”. “Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense,” he said.
