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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial | |
ARTICLE VIEW: | |
/ | |
Rafael Nadal’s comeback gathers pace as he reaches Madrid Open fourth | |
round | |
By George Ramsay, CNN | |
Updated: | |
6:15 AM EDT, Tue April 30, 2024 | |
Source: CNN | |
admitted that his level is “more unpredictable” than it used to be | |
as he continued his winning run at the Madrid Open with a hard-fought | |
victory against Argentine Pedro Cachín. | |
Nadal, who has battled with injuries this year, defeated Cachín 6-1 | |
6-7(5-7) 6-3 in three hours and four minutes on Monday, showing signs | |
that he could reignite his career ahead of the next month. | |
It’s the first time since 2022 that the Spaniard, who has won a | |
record five titles in Madrid, has reached the fourth round of an ATP | |
Tour event having appeared at just three tournaments this year. | |
“I cannot predict what’s going on tomorrow, what can happen | |
tomorrow, or what level I’m going to show tomorrow,” Nadal told | |
reporters after Monday’s match. | |
“I’m more unpredictable than what I used to be … Nobody knows | |
what can happen during the night and how I wake up [Tuesday] morning | |
and that’s the truth.” | |
After the match, world No. 91 Cachín said that it had been a | |
“dream” to play against Nadal when the pair met at the net, then | |
asked if he could keep his opponent’s shirt or towel. | |
The 22-time grand slam champion obliged, handing Cachín one of his | |
purple t-shirts before they left the court. | |
The touching moment came at the end of a tight contest in which Nadal | |
had breezed through the first set before facing a fightback in the | |
second. | |
He managed to recover from a double break and saved two set points | |
before Cachín leveled the match in a tie-break. | |
In the deciding set, however, the 37-year-old asserted his dominance | |
and ground out the victory, the first time since the start of January | |
that he has played more than two sets of tennis. | |
Nadal, who defeated world No. 10 Alex de Minaur in the second round, | |
next faces Czech Republic’s Jiří Lehečka in the round of 16 on | |
Tuesday. | |
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