Rafael Nadal has allayed fears that he is "worried" about playing back-to-back matches in a tournament so early in his comeback.
Nadal is scheduled to face 30th-seeded Czech Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round of the Madrid Open. The match will not begin before 9:15 p.m. local time, and it would have been a little over 24 hours since he was on a match court.
The Spaniard had defeated World No. 91 Pedro Cachin in a three-hour match on Monday. After cruising in the opening set, Nadal was pegged back by the resurgent Argentine, who won the second set in a tie-break.
But normal service resumed in the decider as Nadal prevailed to improve to 59-14 in Madrid. The five-time champion was asked after the match whether he was concerned about playing successive matches without an extra day of rest in between.
While the short turnaround is far from ideal, given that Nadal only returned to full-time competition in Barcelona after being away for nearly three months, he is excited by the challenge.
"That's tennis. I mean, I cannot have any concern in terms of playing tomorrow again. That's how the tournament works. I need to find a way to be able to play days in a row and still be competitive. I don't know if I am in that moment yet."
"Let's see what can happen tomorrow. But I’m gonna try. I’m gonna do the things the right way to try to be ready for tomorrow. So I cannot worry at all. Just happy to be on court again tomorrow hopefully. Hope to be ready."
Nadal's tone sounds certainly more optimistic right now than when he started the tournament. He has improved gradually since Barcelona, and his team has instilled this positive affirmation regarding his fitness and form.
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