Nadal Battles Through at Madrid Open, Eyes French Open
After a grueling three-hour battle on the court, Rafael Nadal emerged victorious in a hard-fought 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3 win over 91st-ranked Pedro Cachin at the Madrid Open on Monday. Nadal, the record five-time champion of this clay-court tournament, showed no signs of physical limitations, despite his recent injury concerns.
“It’s positive, now I don’t feel that something went wrong on my body, but I need to wait until tomorrow, being 100% honest.”
- Rafael Nadal
The 22-time Grand Slam champion expressed optimism about his recovery, stating that the result was positive, and he did not feel any issues with his body. However, Nadal acknowledged the need to wait until the following day to be fully certain.
Nadal is determined to keep dreaming and continue playing in front of the enthusiastic Madrid crowd, which he says “means everything” to him. Looking ahead, Nadal will next face 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka, acknowledging the need to “find a way to be able to play days in a row and still be competitive.”
The 37-year-old is working to regain his form in preparation for next month’s French Open, where he is a record 13-time champion.
Meanwhile, top-seeded Jannik Sinner battled through a hip issue to defeat Pavel Kotov 6-2, 7-5, setting up a matchup with 16th-seeded Karen Khachanov. Third-seeded Daniil Medvedev also survived a scare, rallying to defeat Sebastian Korda 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3.
In the women’s draw, Madison Keys staged a comeback to defeat compatriot Coco Gauff 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4, earning a quarterfinal berth. Top-ranked Iga Swiatek continued her dominant run, securing a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Sara Sorribes Tormo to advance to the quarterfinals.
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