Rafael Nadal (Spain, ranked 512th in the world), a men’s tennis ‘dirt god’ who is likely to put down his racket at the end of this year, passed the first round of the singles at the Madrid Open on the Men’s Professional Tennis (ATP) Tour.
Nadal, born in 1986, defeated Darwin Blanche (USA, 1028th), born in 2007, with a set score of 2-0 (6-1 6-0) in the first round (round of 128) of the singles finals of the tournament held in Madrid, Spain, on the 26th. The Madrid Open corresponds to the ‘Masters 1000 level’ held a total of 9 times a year and is a prestigious tournament ranked just below the four major tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open). The age difference between the two players was 21 years and 117 days, which was the largest age gap among players who ever faced each other in the Masters 1000 level competition.
Nadal overcame back and hip injuries in early January of this year and returned to singles for the first time in about a year at the ATP Tour Brisbane International. He showed competitiveness by winning two games in a row, but the injury recurred and he focused on recovery in the meantime. Nadal, who returned after three months at the Barcelona Open last week, passed the first round gate for two consecutive weeks.
Nadal, who appeared wearing a purple tracksuit that day, ran around the court without difficulty and defeated Blanche. There were few errors (9-25) and no double faults (0-2) that resulted in missed serves. The serve’s highest speed was 195 km/h.
Nadal will compete with Alex Diminor (25, Australia, 11th) to advance to the round of 32. Nadal also met Diminor in the second round of the Barcelona Open and lost 0-2 (5-7 1-6) at the time. The opportunity to seek revenge unfolds in about a week. Nadal, who is also a fan of Real Madrid, a professional soccer team based in Madrid, has won this tournament five times. This could actually be his last appearance as he has indicated his intention to retire at the end of this year. He said, “I am happy to be able to play in front of fans who show me infinite love,” and “I am enjoying every moment.”
Nadal also dreams of participating in the French Open, the second major tournament of the season, to be held next month. He has reached the top of the major tournament a total of 22 times and has won the French Open, which is played on clay courts, 14 times, the most in a single major tournament.
Meanwhile, the first seed in this year’s Madrid Open was Jannic Sinner (23, Italy, second place), and the second seed was Carlos Alcaras (21, Spain, third place). World No. 1 Novak Djokovic (37, Serbia) declared his absence ahead of the tournament.
