Rafael Nadal said earlier this week that in his current state, he would not be able to play in the upcoming French Open. But the Spaniard showed no sign of fitness issues during his commanding 6-1 6-0 victory over 16-year-old Darwin Blanch in the Madrid Open first round on Thursday. Nadal will face Alex de Minaur in the final 32 – a rematch of their Barcelona clash earlier this month.
De Minaur is widely expected to win this encounter although it will be interesting to observe how Nadal will approach this encounter. At the moment the 37 year old 22 time Grand Slam winner is focusing on enjoying his tennis.
Speaking after the match, Nadal said: “Today I played against an opponent with a great future in front of him, but today he’s still making mistakes. So I just tried to be there, be solid all the time without taking a lot of risks and it worked out well. So just happy to be through and wish him all the best for the future.”
