“You fulfilled my dream, thank you. I don’t know if the protocol allows it, but can I keep something of yours, your shirt?
With that request to an online legend it ended Pedro Cachin’s adventure in the Madrid Masters 1000. Rafael Nadal, the “owner of the house”, eliminated him after winning 6-1, 6-7 (5) and 6-3 in 3 hours and five minutes and advanced to the round of 16 of the Spanish event. But it is not a fall of the many that the Cordoban had suffered in recent times. It is a stumble in front of a giant after having put up a lot of fight, a farewell with a closed outcome that -what a paradox-, imbues him with a lot of optimism if he analyzes his entire journey in the Caja Mágica.
It was the first confrontation between the two and The Manacorí established clear differences in the first set, based on greater speed and position on the court. Beyond his physical ailments and at the twilight of his career, the Bullfighter continues to make his hierarchy prevail and exhibits the imprint of a different tennis player. For that reason he was able, as on so many occasions, to achieve those impossible angles that take any rival off the field.
The Cordoban had a hard time settling in from the beginning and He suffered three breaks, which led to the loss of the first set, almost without being able to put up a fight. He could do little against Nadal, who constantly suffocated with his pressure and showed a very precise version. In fact, he barely needed 17 points to win his three service games and won with a resounding 6-1 in the first set, to begin sniffing the next stage at the Manolo Santana stadium.
But the native of Bell Ville was able to break in the first game of the second set and gained confidence and greater clarity. Everything changed from there. His game suddenly appeared with all the lights. The question, from that first conquest, was to maintain his service. And not only did he do it, but he broke the manacorí’s serve for the second time, much more erratic. However, the former world No. 1, currently 512th (he received a special invitation to play in the main draw), closed the gap by breaking Cachin’s serve to go 2-4, emboldened by the Spanish public, and with his wife Xisca Perelló, his son Rafael, 18 months old, and his sister Maribel as the main visible faces.
It was quite a challenge for Cachin, who moved forward with his service game after being 0-30 and transferred the responsibility to Rafa. At that point, the man from Córdoba was in high spirits, confident in his shots, against an opponent who had considerably increased his percentage of unforced errors.. However, when the Argentine player had the chance to close the set at 5-4 on the scoreboard, he couldn’t – despite having two set points – and ended up losing that long game with a double fault, after having had a pair of unbeatable opportunities to define on the net and access a third partial right there.
The ups and downs of the match, the ups and downs of both players, led to a new break achieved by Cachin (6-5), an unexpected turn, taking into account the way in which the opportunity had slipped away in the previous game. But even with a new chance to take the set, he became frustrated again against Nadal, who took his serve to force a tie break. And there, despite some doubts, Cachin finally took the dam and won 7-5 in that tiebreaker.
In that context, it was fatigue – especially mental – that ended up making Cachin succumb to Nadal, who once again hammered the Argentine’s serve and tied him down with his aggressive tennis, until he made him give up in a match that lasted more than three hours. . Thus, Nadal remains in force at home and will face the Czech Jiri Lehecka (30th seed) in the round of 16. while Cachin retired with his head held high, imagining a much friendlier outlook than the one he had to face in the last six months.
The moment when Nadal gives Cachin a t-shirt
Rafael Nadal spoke on court about his performance in the match: “I have had good moments and not so good moments, but I have found a way to achieve victory. In the third set, although I made mistakes, I was able to be a little more unpredictable. That probably changed the game.”
Regarding his physical condition, he said: “We will see how I get up tomorrow. I have to go day by day, enjoying the fact of competing at home. It’s something that means everything to me. I have to do my best to continue dreaming. Tomorrow is another day to continue enjoying in front of this fantastic audience. For me, that is everything.” It was a success with a singular flavor: for the first time in more than 600 days he won three consecutive matches, since the 2022 US Open.
The match summary
The resurrection of Cachin
The Cordoban, 91st in the ranking, had ended an adverse streak on the circuit last Thursday by winning on the first day and achieving his first victory since last October. The last time he had achieved two consecutive victories on the circuit, as happened in Madrid, was at Gstaad 2023, when he won his first title, last July. In the first round he had defeated the Austrian Sebastian Ofner and then left the American Frances Tiafoe, seeded No. 20, on the road until he had to face Rafael Nadal, his idol.
In recent months, Cachin had collapsed athletically and emotionally. Not only did he not win a title again on the ATP circuit and the last victory in a main draw It had been against the Spanish Albert Ramos Viñolas, in the round of 16 of the 250 in Kitzbühel, on August 2. But, in addition, since he beat the Taiwanese Jason Jung in mid-October, in the quarterfinals of the Shenzhen Challenger, chained fifteen consecutive defeats.
His resurrection took place in Madrid, where in the stands the excitement of his girlfriend, Paula, and the satisfaction of his coach, Martín, were again observed. Baby Cuevas (brother of Pablo Cuevas, the best Uruguayan tennis player in history). Now, after a great battle against his idol, with a dream fulfilled, another path opens up for him.