Madrid, April 26: He is a champion. Winner of 22 Grand Slams. But he was out of action for long due to injury. May be he will take a final call on his retirement as a player in the months to come.
But back on coat after a long break, Rafael Nadal was too good for teenager Darwin Blanch.
Nadal made a winning start at the Madrid Open when he raced past 16-year-old wild card Darwin Blanch 6-1, 6-0 after 64 minutes.
A five-time champion in Madrid, Nadal owns the most wins (57) at the Caja Magica, where the home favourite first claimed the title in 2008 and most recently triumphed in 2017.
In what was the largest age gap (21 years, 117 days) between two opponents at ATP Masters 1000 level, Nadal won 59 per cent of his return points and did not face a break point on his own serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
"He’s a very young player, I think he has a great future ahead of him. He has very powerful shots, but I think he’s lacked continuity. I wish him all the best. I played fine, I’m happy, this gave me the opportunity of having another day in Madrid, which means a lot to me. I need to play these tournaments and I think it’s part of a process of improvement," said Nadal.
Nadal, who is making his 20th appearance in Madrid this fortnight, play in the second round of the tournament against tenth seed Alex de Minaur, whom he faced a week ago on the clay of Barcelona.
"Last week it wasn’t to be and this week I’m sure it’ll be more difficult. But I’ll have the chance to play again. Anything that comes now is a gift, so I’m happy to go out on court again, and excited to do so as well as possible. I’ll try to be as competitive as I can," added Nadal.
Will he continue for long and win more title? Will he be able to increase his number of Grand Slam wins? Though Nadal's fans may be too excited to see him win a match on court again, but time can only say how long will he play.
But there is no doubt about his potentials, fighting spirit and commitment for the game of tennis. Because Spaniard Rafael Nadal is a tennis legend. (IWith IANS support)
