Rafael Nadal is back to playing at the Madrid Open, but he's not looking to win the event because that's neither the goal nor the reality.
To his credit, Nadal has been brutally honest during his comebacks this year. He consistently downplayed any media narratives because he knew they were overblown, based on his previous success.
His comeback in Australia and two impressive wins got everyone too excited about it, and these past weeks showed the reality. Things don't look that great right now.
He won a match in Barcelona and a match in Madrid, but he's not looking like a contender right now. Roland Garros is not far away, and he's not even sure if he'll play. That's just the reality of the situation; it's very fluid and can change at any time.
He's certainly not thinking about winning trophies right now because the match against Alex de Minaur last week showed us that he's not on that level. He's also facing de Minaur this week in Madrid, so at least we'll have a chance to compare the outings and see if he has made any progress.
There is serious doubt about his ability to beat the Australian right now. He told the media after his round one win that he's not thinking about winning trophies or matches. These are mostly tests for him to understand his body better as he tries to find the best level.
"At the moment, win or lose isn’t the most important. One more win or two won’t change anything about my career. I’m not here in Madrid aspiring to win the title. Saturday is just an opportunity to understand where I am. In Barcelona against him I played well for one set."
The Spaniard will be looking to use the home crowd support to his advantage in yet another attempt to beat de Minaur on his comeback.
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