Rafael Nadal, who is making his return to the circuit after a long absence due to injuries, is far from the level he would like to display to hope to perform one last time at Roland Garros this summer. The Spaniard was swept away in the second round of the Masters 1000 in Rome this Sunday, May 11 by Hubert Hurkacz in two sets (6-1, 6-3).
Published on: 05/11/2024 – 5:02 p.m.
3 mn
Two short rounds and gone: Rafael Nadal, who is attempting a final return to the forefront at almost 38 years old, was soundly beaten during the 2nd round of the Masters 1000 in Rome, dress rehearsal for Roland-Garros. The Spaniard, soundly beaten by the Pole Hubert Hurkacz 6-1, 6-3, had not been eliminated from the Roman tournament so prematurely since 2008.
For his farewell tour at the Foro Italico, where he won ten times, the last time in 2021, the former world number 1, now 305th in the ATP rankings, fell to an opponent who physically suffocated him . If the first two spectacular games lasted 14 and 12 minutes respectively, Hurkacz, 9th in the world, then took the lead by relying on his serve. The Pole, not really a clay court specialist, even if he won the Estoril tournament this year, won the first round in 49 minutes.
As in the first set, in the second set he took Nadal’s serve, although supported by an Italian public fully committed to his cause, from the third game and was no longer worried. “ It’s a difficult day, I started the match well, the first two games lasted thirty minutes, I had break points, but after that, I was no longer able to put him in difficulty, to push him far from the baseline », Analyzed Nadal who has not beaten, on clay, a player in the world’s top 10 since his 14th and final coronation at Roland-Garros in 2022.
“I think I will be at Roland Garros”
« I thought I was going to play better than what I showed this Saturday, it’s hard to accept, it’s not a pleasant feeling. I wanted to show something else “, he admitted. Nadal will approach his probable final Roland-Garros (May 26-June 9) having played only eight matches on clay, for a record far from his standards on his favorite surface.
After his forced three-month break to treat yet another injury, he fell in the second round in Barcelona, in the round of 16 in Madrid and did not make it past the second round in Rome. He still has to show up at Porte d’Auteuil: as he has done since his return to the circuit, “Rafa” once again maintained doubt during his post-match press conference.
“The decision, as you can imagine, is not clear in my mind today. If I have to tell you what I’m thinking right now, I think I’ll be at Roland Garros to give my best. Physically, I have problems, but not serious enough to say that I will not play the most important tournament of my career,” he explained.
There are some (small) reasons for hope for “Rafa” before returning to Parisian clay: his battered body held up and he displayed a newfound confidence in each of his speeches in Rome. But it’s quite a challenge that awaits the Spaniard at Roland-Garros where the matches are played in three winning sets and are therefore longer.
