Men’s tennis is going through uncertain months. The number one in the ATP ranking, Novak Djokovic, plays intermittently; those who are called to relegate him, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz y Daniil Medvedev, are injured or touched; and behind them there are many irregular tennis players like Alexander Zverev, Andrei Rublev o Stefanos Tsitsipas. There is only one good news. Rafael Nadal he’s back. She really she’s back. After his slow and hesitant start in the Conde de God Trophy, at the Mutua Madrid Open in Madrid he already showed speed and confidence and in the Masters 1000 in Rome that started yesterday anything can happen.
Is Nadal capable of lifting his eleventh title in Italy? In full recovery, it still seems like a utopia, but for the first time in the last two years the Spaniard could once again play in the final phase of a tournament. Quarterfinals at the Foro Itlico? Semifinals? It doesn’t seem impossible.
His physical improvement is the best argument. His victories in Madrid against Alex de Miaur y Pedro Cachn They confirmed his evolution and in recent days in Rome he has been seen in excellent condition. On Sunday he appeared at the facilities on the banks of the Tiber River with a compression stocking on his right calf and set off the alarms. Any pain, any discomfort could stop you and even lead to a final goodbye. But, in the end, it was just caution. As soon as he started training, Nadal got rid of bandages and vol.
Good workouts
This Monday, in fact, I played a training match against the Argentine Francisco Cerundolo, current 22nd on the ATP list, quarterfinalist in Madrid, and defeated him 6-3 and 7-6, according to the fans present. This Tuesday, more cautiously, he played only one set against Stefanos Tsitsipas, eighth in the world, apparently also with victory for the Spaniard. At 37 years old and with all the ailments in the world, Nadal will once again be the sprinter he was, but simply by staying healthy he will be able to win. How much?
That is the unknown. His rival in the first round this Thursday (not before 1:00 p.m., Movistar) is the Belgian Zizou Bergs, outside the Top 100 of the ATP, 24 years old and with a dubious professional record -nine wins and 21 losses-. Then, in the second round you can meet Hubert Hurkacza Top 10 with difficulties on clay, and in third, against the Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wildvictim of Alcaraz in Madrid, or the Argentine Toms Martn Etcheverry. Until the round of 16, with the possible presence of Holger Rune, Nadal will not run into a champion candidate in Rome. On that step will be his proof.
“I’m happy”
Against Rune or even in the quarterfinals, in a hypothetical confrontation against Medvedev -if the Russian plays-, the winner of 22 Grand Slams will know where his level will really be. Then check if he can win another title in Italy and, above all, if he can reach Roland Garros with options to succeed. “I’m enjoying playing. I’m happy. I’m going to have three tournaments in a row when recently I couldn’t even have three training sessions in a row. My evolution is not the same every day. That’s why I’ll say what happened in Paris after Rome,” he commented this Wednesday with exaggerated caution. That he wins at the Foro Itlico is unlikely, but it is even more unlikely that he will lose the French Grand Slam.
It is the goal he has been working towards for more than a year and, in fact, it is perhaps his main obstacle to going far in the Masters 1000 in Rome. As he already said in the Conde de God Trophy and repeated in the Mutua Madrid Open, he will only take risks in the Philippe Chatrier and in these previous weeks he will relax or withdraw in the event of any scare. It is not his philosophy, as he has lamented lately, but saying goodbye with honors in Paris is above all. At the moment, everything is open.
Even a crazy calculation emerged yesterday from the ATP website: Nadal, who has already entered the Top 300 of the ranking, could finish around 35th place if he wins this Masters 1000 and, with the multiple foreseeable losses, he would be seeded at Roland Garros. A fanciful assumption… or not. Is Nadal capable of lifting his eleventh title in Italy? It’s unlikely, but.