RAFAEL NADAL DELIVERS ‘UNPREDICTABLE’ VERDICT AFTER SURVIVING BIG ITALIAN OPEN SCARE
Rafael Nadal gave an honest assessment of his performance after his battling three-set opening round victory over Zizou Bergs at the 2024 Italian Open.
The tennis legend admitted his game is “more unpredictable than before” due to his lack of tennis, but expressed his belief that he can perform “much better” than he did.
Nadal survived a considerable scare to prevail 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 against the impressive Bergs, who is ranked 108th and came through the qualifying draw.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion led 3-1 in the opening set, but lost five of the next six games as he saw the set slip away in concerning fashion.
The 37-year-old responded in the best possible manner by winning the first three games of the second set after play was delayed due to a medical emergency in the crowd. The Spaniard saved break two break points en route to sealing the set to level the match.
In the decider, Nadal made another strong start to establish a 3-1 lead and had a point to earn a double break advantage, but he was denied by Bergs.
Nadal then crucially saved three break points to hold from 3-2, 0-40 to hold off the Belgian qualifier, before holding twice more to seal a hard-fought triumph.
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In an interview with Tennis TV after the tight first round contest, Nadal stressed the importance of finding a way to win despite being below his best.
“Yeah of course, that was not my best match. I was practising better than how I played today, without a doubt,” he assessed.
“But I find a way to win, no? And that’s so important at the beginning of the tournament. For me, it’s normal. As I said, my game is more unpredictable than before. I didn’t play much tennis for the last two years.
“So yeah, some up and downs, on and off. But I think I can do it much better than what I did today and I hope to do it in the next round.”
The former world No 1 was also asked about the emotions he was feeling, given this could be his last appearance in Rome.
“Yeah well, always have been emotional to play here. These kind of events are the most important events in my tennis career,” Nadal said.
“So honestly, the crowd have been always amazing with me, supporting me since the beginning of my tennis career, so super excited to be able to play one more time here.”
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