ROME – Rafael Nadal said that he can no longer afford to fear injury after battling into the second round of the Italian Open, with the French Open looming on the horizon.
The Spaniard bounced back to beat qualifier Zizou Bergs 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in Rome on May 9 with a performance which will need to be improved upon when he faces his next opponent, world No. 9 Hubert Hurkacz on May 11.
Should he progress further, the 37-year-old also has the 2023 winner, world No. 4 Daniil Medvedev, and the beaten finalist Holger Rune on his side of the draw.
Nadal took nearly three hours to see off Belgian Bergs in the first round as he continued his comeback and bid to play at Roland Garros, most likely for the last time.
He has been a shadow of the player who has won 22 Grand Slams and a record 10 titles in Rome, battered by injuries and dropping to 305th in the world rankings after missing almost all of last season.
“I have Roland Garros in just two weeks and a half... I need to prove to myself if I am able to push my body to the limit. I need to push to feel myself ready for what’s coming,” Nadal said.
“I am not talking only about Roland Garros. I am talking about the next match. I need to lose this fear. Matches like (against Bergs) help.
“Some moments I was moving faster. Some moments not. I need to get used to that, to take that risk... I feel more ready to try it than before.”
He has said that he will play at the French Open, where he has won a record 14 times, only if he feels competitive. Although he showed glimpses of his old self against the 108th-ranked Bergs, he struggled on his serve and looked a long way from Grand Slam standard.
In the women’s draw, top seed Iga Swiatek breezed into the third round with a 6-0, 6-2 win against American Bernarda Pera on May 9, and will face Yulia Putintseva next.
The three-time Roland Garros champion is looking to match that number of victories on the Roman clay – she won in 2021 and 2022.
She also comes into the event having just won the Madrid Open last weekend.
World No. 3 Coco Gauff clinched a straightforward 6-3, 6-3 win over Magdalena Frech, dominating her Polish opponent to set up a third-round tie with Jaqueline Cristian.
Defending champion Elena Rybakina has pulled out due to illness on May 10.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion’s withdrawal was announced hours before she was scheduled to play Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu. AFP, REUTERS
