"My preparation has not existed" - Nadal relieved after win over Kecmanovic
ATP
Rafael Nadal admitted he had very little preparation for the 2022 Madrid Open, and his performance against Miomir Kecmanovic left him very content.
The Spaniard returned to the action at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid, and in his first match at the event, he had to fend off a tricky challenge from Kecmanovic.
The Serbian player tried his best, especially in the second set, but Nadal prevailed in two sets over Kecmanovic, winning the match 6-1, 7-6(4) to reach the third round of the 2022 Madrid Open after a first-round BYE.
Following the match, the 21-time Grand Slam champion was asked about his performance, which wasn't his best, but given the circumstances and the fact that he could win in two sets, he was very happy.
"I leave the match very, very happy. You have to be sincere with yourself whenever you can. You have to be truthful to yourself. My preparation has not existed. You cannot expect great things at the beginning, because before coming here, first day training was last Thursday. I have trained very, very little."
"I had trained one day, and all training has had some up-and-downs. It's been a rollercoaster. I have had better days, worse days. It's logical. I think that yesterday I started to feel a little bit better, and today also in the pre warmup I was feeling well. I think that in general I have played a good match."
The World No. 4 has performed well when returning from injury setbacks in recent years, with his triumph at the Australian Open in January as a perfect example. The 35-year-old feels his second-round win in Madrid is a crucial step in the right direction as he aims to build momentum again.
"Today I was able to play one hour [and] 55 minutes against an opponent that was playing really well in these past months, so [it is] a really good victory. A lot of value to it."
"One hour [and] 55 minutes on court helps me a lot to reach my final goal, which is to recover my previous health and previous fitness. I'm very excited about it."
On top of that, the Madrid Open is not just some tournament for him. It's in his home country, which makes it so much more important than all other tournaments, and that's also why he chose it as his comeback event.
"Playing in Spain is something really, really important, and here in Madrid, the support and love of the people it's always been unconditional. I am conscious of my age that I don't know how many more times I'm going to be able to have the opportunity to play here in front of these people, so I'm just trying to enjoy it as much as possible."
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