Madrid
\nIt didn\u2019t matter that Rafael Nadal had been out of competition for 45 days due to cracked ribs and had to play outdoors and indoors in the same match. It also didn\u2019t matter that Miomir Kecmanovic is 13 years younger than the Spaniard.
\nAnd it didn\u2019t matter that the Serb knew, in theory, all the weak points of his opponent because his coach is David Nalbandian.
\nThe Argentine, represented by Carlos Costa, Rafa\u2019s lifelong agent, during his playing career, played seven matches against Nadal, winning two of them, one in Madrid. But it was on the hard surface of the Rockodromo de la Casa de Campo.
\nOn the Caja Magica hard court on Wednesday, the five-time champion made his umpteenth comeback with a 6-1, 7-6(4) win in 1 hour and 55 minutes.
\nHe has now won 465 matches on clay and lost just 43, giving him a winning percentage of 91.53 per cent.
\nThe Manolo Santana court was sold out to see the national idol. Rafa announced that he did not arrive in the Spanish capital in his best form, but his performance was the opposite.
\nAnd bear in mind that Kecmanovic, his victim, is not just anyone, and less so in a year when he has reached the quarters in his last six tournaments.
\nThe rain was noticeable until it definitively interrupted the match at 1-0 and 0-15 for the Serb in the second set. The first had fallen to the Spaniard, only dropping a single game. The action had gone on for 48 minutes.
\nNadal had not played on clay since he lost in the semi-final of Roland Garros 2021 against Novak Djokovic on June 11.
\nIt had been 327 days, but it seemed as if this season\u2019s number one came into this tournament, as almost always, on the back of having won in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.
\nNalbandian took advantage of the break to refresh his disciple\u2019s ideas. It took 20 minutes to close the roof of the centre court. This was an eternity to Nadal, in a hurry to finish and get over to the Bernabeu to watch the Champions League semi-finals between his beloved Real Madrid and Manchester City.
\nAt 17:38 the tennis returned with Nadal serving. It remained to be seen how the two players would adapt to their new habitat.
\nSuddenly, Kecmanovic had a break point. He missed it. The Serb remained level until the fifth game of the set.
\nHe conceded the third break, but quickly broke back. The victory could have come in the eleventh game of the set as Nadal had a chance to break, but Serbian player did not give up and forced sudden death.
\nRafa will face the winner of the match between David Goffin, recent winner in Marrakech, and Botic Van de Zandschulp, finalist in Munich on Sunday.
\nThe Race leader is also looking at the rankings and in the Caja M\u00e1gica he has the chance to regain his place on the ATP podium at the expense of Alexander Zverev. To be ahead of the German before Roland Garros would mean not facing Novak Djokovic until a hypothetical final.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Madrid It didn\u2019t matter that Rafael Nadal had been out of competition for 45 days due to cracked ribs and had to play outdoors and indoors in the same match. It also didn\u2019t matter that Miomir Kecmanovic is 13 years younger than the Spaniard. And it didn\u2019t matter that the Serb knew, in theory, all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":258831,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[6836,6835,5279],"class_list":{"0":"post-258820","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-indoors","9":"tag-madrid-open","10":"tag-rafa-nadal"},"yoast_head":"\n