In the opening round of the Madrid Open, Rafael Nadal defeated American teenager Darwin Blanch in a straightforward set, but there was little to take away from the victory. On Thursday, Nadal easily defeated the young 16-year-old Blanch, 6-1, 6-0.
Nadal has always looked forward to competing at the Mutua Madrid Open in his native country, in front of his loved ones packed into a fully equipped players’ box.
Nadal admits he didn’t push himself during the straightforward Madrid opener and that he still wants to get better. Next up for Nadal is 10th-seeded Alex de Minaur, who defeated the Spaniard in Barcelona last week.
Nadal expressed his thoughts about it and said: “I didn’t test my body much today. I think I played a decent match doing the things that I had to do to be through, but at the same time, I played against a player that today—I don’t know in a few weeks—he’s not solid enough yet, because he’s making more mistakes.”
Nadal in Madrid, ranking, and results in 2024
Ranked no.512, Nadal has achieved a 4-2 record in 2024. Nadal is playing at the moment in Madrid where he ousted Darwin Blanch 6-1 6-0.
Rafael Nadal will square off with the world no.11 Alex De Minaur in the 2nd round. Their head to head is 3-2 for Nadal.
Nadal won 92 titles in his career: 24 on hard courts, 63 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 4 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
He is also scheduled to play at the French Open (French Open) after Rome. The main draw will start on the 8th of May.
Rafael Nadal |
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