Nadal, happy but cautious after win over De Minaur
The former world No. 1 recorded his best win since he returned to competition this year, but he prefers not to count the chickens before they hatch.
Rafa Nadal arguably played his best match this year, at least on clay. The Spaniard made his fans dream again when he took on Alex de Minaur in the second round of the Madrid Open.
The 14-time French Open champion recovered from an injury that kept him away from the courts for several weeks since the start of this season and seems to be getting to his best level.
He defeated De Minaur on Saturday in a hard-fought match that required a tiebreak in the first set. The Manacor native was the sharper player in the key points, as he used to be in his prime, and took the lead in the game in front of the Spanish crowd.
With a mentally exhausted De Minaur, Nadal started paving the way to victory in the second set with his constant aggressivity and intensity. Nadal felt way better on the Manolo Santana court than in the Barcelona Open, closing the match with a convincing performance.
However, the 37-year-old Nadal preferred to stay calm and humble despite playing at a high level.
“I’m coming out of three positive days, yes, but there are still a lot of actions that I don’t perform as I would like to do them. I still have to be careful”, he said after the game.
“(...) I still need time. There were good and bad moments today. I found my way without having a huge margin”, he added.
Nadal, excited about playing with Alcaraz at the Olympics
Nadal is aware that his time on the courts is limited and this will probably be his last year before retiring. However, before that moment comes, he has his mind set on the French Open and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Spanish star will be looking for an unbelievable 15th win at Roland-Garros, although he will need to be at his very best, as he will have fierce competitors on clay, such as Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud, or Alexander Zverev, among others.
But Nadal is also very excited about the 2024 Olympic Games, which will take place in Paris this summer. The 2008 Olympic singles gold medalist will be looking to team up with his fellow countryman Carlos Alcaraz in the doubles to fight for another gold medal.
“Carlos doesn’t have to ask me anything, all things being well, we will play,” Nadal said. “It’s also hugely exciting for me. If I’m not mistaken, I’ve heard it is for him too”, he said.
“So it would be great to play the odd tournament before the Olympics to prepare ourselves and to get some rapport on the court”, he added.
Nadal and Alcaraz could face each other in the Madrid Open if both players make it to the final round.