Rafael Nadal had to dig dip against a very good Gilles Simon in his opener in Rome.
The King of Clay on paper was the super favorite as Gilles was also coming from a difficult period for an injury to his ankle.
Simon opposed a huge resistance to bring Rafa to the third set after a couple of tiebreaks. The match was absolutely even till the 4th game (2-2) of the decider when finally Rafa managed to win 4 consecutive games and win 7-6 (1) 6-7 (4) 6-2. The match lasted 3 hours and 19 minutes! Match Stats.
Rafa: the conditions were difficult
Nadal said “The conditions were difficult, it was very cold and the ball didn’t bounce a lot. It was a tough moment in the second set, but this was the first match on clay where I had to suffer, mentally and physically. I was not playing bad and I am happy to have dealt with that kind of anxiety.
I look forward to playing the third set because these are the matches that give me more satisfaction, the ones that test you very deeply. I did it and I am very happy.”
Next vs. Youzhny
Rafa will play Mikhail Youzhny in the next round. Head to head is 10-4 for Rafa. 3-0 on clay for Nadal that has never conceded a single set to the Russian on the dirt.
