Rome Rafael Nadal appeared for a short while on Thursday like a worn-out 37-year-old athlete who is getting close to retirement.
Nadal lost the opening set in his first-round encounter at the Italian Open against Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs due to his inability to generate pace off both sides with his groundstrokes, his unusually high number of unforced errors, and his inability to stay in rallies.
Then came the fist-pumping, nearly invincible on the clay, 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal, who fought for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph in front of an enthralled audience in what is probably going to be his last match at the Foro Italico.
After missing almost all of 2023 due to a hip ailment that necessitated surgery, Nadal was just participating in his tenth match of the year. At the French Open, where he is the record 14-time champion, he hopes to compete one last time.
“My finest match wasn’t that one. Without a doubt, I was practicing better than I was playing today. However, I managed to prevail,” Nadal remarked. “My current game is more erratic than it was. During the previous two years, I didn’t play any tennis. I’m therefore up and down and on and off, but I believe I’m capable of doing it far better than I did today.
Before Roland Garros begins on May 26, Rafael Nadal’s final major preparation tournament is Rome, where he is a record 10-time champion.
The time has come, according to Nadal, “to prove myself if I am able to push my body to the limit that I need to push to feel myself ready for what’s coming,” after he overcame his hip and stomach problems.
“I’m not only referring to Roland Garros here. I am referring to the upcoming game. I have to get over this phobia,” Nadal remarked. “Today’s matches are helpful. At times, I was moving more quickly. In certain cases, no. I have to get used to it and accept that danger. I feel more prepared than ever to give it a try.
“Ole, Ole, Ole, Na-dal, Na-dal,” was chanted by the Campo Centrale audience as Rafael Nadal celebrated his 70th victory in the Italian capital.
“Playing here has always made me emotional; these kinds of tournaments are the most significant ones in my tennis career,” Nadal remarked. The audience has consistently shown me incredible support from the start of my tennis career. I’m therefore ecstatic to be able to play here one more time.
Nadal was coming off a straight-set loss in the Madrid Open fourth round against Jiri Lehecka, ranked 31st. However, in his entire career, he has never dropped a match on clay, and he is now maintaining this remarkable record in what he has stated is his last season on the circuit.
Nadal got off to a fast start, winning the first set with a forehand winner that reached 95 mph (153 kph). This gave him an early break and a 3-1 advantage. However, he immediately returned the favor in the following game by missing three easy groundstrokes into the net.
After that, at 4–4, Nadal twice double-faulted and was broken again, giving the 108th-ranked Bergs the opportunity to serve out the set and take a 5–4 lead.
Nadal had 16 unforced errors against Bergs’ 10 in the opening set.
The play was momentarily stopped in the first game of the second set when a fan in the grandstand needed medical attention. It made it possible for Nadal to speak with his coach, Carlos Moya.
Following a 10-minute break in play, Rafael Nadal accelerated to a 3-0 lead in the second set by using more force and aggression in his shots.
Nadal was able to salvage a point in the third set despite falling to the red clay. He got back up fast to continue the rally and then produced a beautiful drop shot to win it. Then he fired a double-clutch fist pump and smashed a forehand cross-court winner to break for a 3-1 lead.
When Nadal came back from 0-40 on his serve to hold for a 4-2 lead in the third, there were more fist pumps.
Nadal’s one-year-old kid was also there at the court, perched on his father’s lap, as his mother and sister, who were seated behind the court, cheered him on.
Now, the Nadal family can anticipate facing seventh-seeded Hubert Hurkacz in the second round. Second-ranked Jannik Sinner and third-ranked Carlos Alcaraz both withdrew due to injuries, leaving top-seeded Novak Djokovic on the other side of the draw.
Other results were Thiago Seboth Wild defeating French qualifier Gregoire Barrere 6-4, 6-2; Dominik Koepfer eliminating Andrea Vavassori 6-4, 6-3; and Serbian qualifier Hamad Medjedovic defeating Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-2.
In the women’s division, third-ranked Coco Gauff advanced after defeating Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-3, while top-ranked Iga Swiatek easily defeated American qualifier Bernarda Pera 6-0, 6-2.
Two former world number one players defeated players with seeds. Rain caused the match to be postponed for approximately an hour, but Naomi Osaka defeated 19th-seeded Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-2, and 17th-seeded Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 6-0.
