Rafael Nadal is still unsure whether he will play at the French Open in June, saying he can sometimes only play at “40 percent” at the moment.
Nadal, a 14-time champion at Roland Garros, couldn’t learn much from his comfortable straight sets win over American teenager Darwin Blanch in the first round of the Madrid Open and overcame the mistake to cruise to a 6-1, 6-0 victory a vulnerable 16-year-old on Thursday.
“I didn’t test my body much today,” said the 37-year-old Nadal. “I played a decent game and did the things I needed to do to advance, but at the same time I played against a player who made more mistakes.”
The encounter marked the biggest age difference [21 years, 117 days] between two opponents in an ATP 1000 tournament.
“I try to play 100 percent, but I can’t give 100 percent every day,” Nadal said.
“I used to be able to give my 100 percent most of the time. Today I can give my 100 percent, sometimes 40 percent, sometimes 60 percent, sometimes 70 percent, and if I manage to increase this percentage day after day or week after week, why not in the future? If not, it’s impossible.”
Nadal appeared to be in good shape and showed no physical limitations in only his third competitive game since returning from his last injury break. He returned last week in Barcelona and lost live in the second round to Alex De Minaur, who will also be his second round opponent in Madrid on Saturday Sky Sports.
Nadal arrived in Madrid and said he was not 100 percent fit and was only playing because the clay court tournament was taking place at home.
On Wednesday, the five-time record champion said in Madrid that he would not play in his current condition if this were the French Open.
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The Spaniard is trying to get back into shape for the tournament in Paris, which is likely to be his last appearance at Roland Garros.
Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, had hip surgery last summer and said 2024 would likely be his final year on tour. He had skipped Monte Carlo and his last tournament was in Brisbane in January, where he played three games.
“It is also part of my tennis career. I had a lot of injuries and had to go back,” said Nadal.
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Nadal says he is enjoying playing the Madrid Open for the 20th time after his win against 16-year-old Blanch
“And the good thing is that I was able to be strong again very quickly. That’s why I was able to set so many records by keeping my ranking at a very high position for so long and being competitive.”
“Today is a different story. I’ve never had such a super long period of time without playing and without important surgeries. I’ve never been close to 38 before.” [years], I was a different age. And I’ll try as always and let’s see. I’m not being negative, I’m just being realistic. I’m here to find out what can happen in the next few weeks.
What can you expect from Sky Sports Tennis?
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Discover all the ways to watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA tours
Ahead of the second Grand Slam of 2024 – the French Open in Roland Garros from May 26th – you can watch all the big tennis stars in action Live on Sky Sports as they compete against each other throughout the clay court season.
- Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome (ATP and WTA Masters 1000) – 7th – 19th May
- Geneva Open (ATP 250) – 20-26 May
- Lyon Open (ATP 250) – 20-26 May
- Strasbourg International (WTA 500 with Emma Raducanu in action) – 20-2. May
- Morocco Open (WTA 250) – 20-26 May
Here’s how to watch tennis matches on Sky Sports
The tennis stars will appear daily on the new Sky Sports Tennis channel
Sky Sports has confirmed a new home for tennis in the UK and Ireland with Sky Sports Tennis on Sky and NOW, bringing tennis content to fans all day, every day.
Sky Sports will broadcast more live tennis than anywhere else and over 4,000 matches from more than 80 tournaments per year on the ATP and WTA tours, as well as full coverage of the US Open, all exclusively live.
Non-Sky subscribers can stream live games with a NOW Sports Day and Month membership via Sky Sports Tennis, Sky Sports ArenaAnd Sky Sports Mix Channels.
For further access, fans can also follow their favorite players and gain deeper insights into both tours via Sky sports newsThe Sky Sports App, on SkySports.com and via Sky Sports social channels.
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