Madrid Open: Rafael Nadal Forced to Break Comfort Zone Owing to Rising Demands of His Failing Body

It’s no big secret that the ‘King of Clay’ prefers playing day sessions on any surface, especially on clay! Rafael Nadal has time and again stated his style of play is best suited to brighter and warmer conditions rather than cooler and humid conditions of the night. But recently, Rafael Nadal was seen admitting that night sessions will help him at this stage of his career more than the day sessions. What forced the 37-year-old tennis legend to go against his comfort zone? On Monday, the five-time champion of the Madrid Open had to go through a grueling three-hour and four-minute-long battle to make his way into the next round of the tournament.

Rafael Nadal defeated Argentina’s Pedro Cachin by 6-1,6(5)-7,6-3 in the R32 clash. He looked completely exhausted at the end of the game, but a victory is always a victory! And he gave a bright smile to the crowd as they chanted his name after his incredible win. Next, he’s going to take on Jiri Lehecka in a night match. This will be the first time he’s going to play under the lights in Madrid. Here’s what he had to say on that, “Given what happened today, I agree with that decision. Playing at night gives me more hours to sleep, recover tomorrow.“

Even during the 2022 French Open, Rafael Nadal spoke about how the ball gets heavier negating the bounce that players like him can generate from the surfaces. Nadal has a tendency to apply pressure on his opponents with the bounce, speed, and depth that he often generates from his shots. During the night, this can be a really big issue for players like Nadal. He said, “I don’t like to play on clay during the night, because humidity is higher, the ball is slower, and can be very heavy conditions especially when it’s cold.“

Rafael Nadal went on to add, “I think that makes a big difference on the way who played tennis on clay during the night and during the day.” Talking about difference, well there isn’t much to compare between Nadal and Lehecka looking at their H2H. This will in fact be their first meeting on the tour. But the biggest question ahead of this intriguing faceoff will be – Is Rafael Nadal fully fit? Especially with such a small amount of recovery time after a marathon match. This is surely going to be the biggest challenge for the Spaniard.

“Let’s see how I wake up tomorrow” – Rafael Nadal on his fitness

Shortly after finishing the match against Cachin, Rafael Nadal spoke about what lies ahead of him next in the tournament. He said, “I am enjoying. Let’s see how I wake up tomorrow.” Is he looking forward to yet again playing in front of his home crowd? “I don’t know. Day by day I am enjoying playing at home, it means everything to me. I am trying my best to keep dreaming.” It will be interesting to see how he approaches this game against the Czech tennis player.

Nadal went on to add, “Tomorrow is another day to keep dreaming. To keep playing in front of this amazing crowd and to me that means everything.“ Can Rafael Nadal produce yet another incredible performance in his next match and move closer to creating yet another historic feat? Share your thoughts in the comment box.