In Rome, Nadal came out in the second round two weeks before his final Roland-Garros – Libération

2024-05-11 14:38:09

The Spaniard was soundly beaten this Saturday, May 11 by the Pole Hubert Hurkacz (6-1, 6-3) during the Masters 1000 in Rome. A worrying underperformance as the Porte d’Auteuil grand slam tournament approaches.

Rafael Nadal, who is attempting a final return to the forefront at almost 38 years old, was soundly beaten during the second round of the Masters 1000 in Rome, a sort of dress rehearsal almost two weeks before Roland-Garros. The Spaniard quickly lost to the 9th in the world, the Pole Hubert Hurkacz (6-1, 6-3). The former world number 1, now 305th in the ATP rankings after an almost blank 2023 season, had not been eliminated from the Roman tournament so prematurely since 2008.

For his farewell tour at the Foro Italico, where he won ten times, the last time in 2021, he fell against an opponent who physically suffocated him. If the first two spectacular games lasted fourteen and twelve minutes respectively, Hurkacz then took the upper hand by relying on his serve. The Pole, not really a clay court specialist, even if he won the Estoril tournament this year, pocketed the first round in forty-nine minutes.

Nadal will approach his probable final Roland-Garros (May 26-June 9) having played only eight matches on clay, for a record far from his standards on his favorite surface. After his forced three-month break to treat yet another injury, he fell in the second round in Barcelona, ​​in the round of 16 in Madrid and did not make it past the second round in Rome. He still needs to really show up at Porte d’Auteuil: he in fact recalled this week that he will only be at Roland-Garros if he “feels good”.

A water bottle on Djokovic’s head

A few reasons nevertheless to hope a little for “Rafa” before returning to the Parisian clay, where he won fourteen times: his body, battered, held up and he displayed in each of his speeches in Rome a newfound confidence. But it’s quite a challenge that awaits the Spaniard at Roland-Garros where the matches are played in three winning sets.

Hurkacz has consolidated his reputation as the executioner of legends: the Pole is the last player to have faced in an official match, and therefore beaten, Roger Federer, in the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon tournament in 2021. In the next round, Hurkacz will face the Argentinian Tomás Martín Etcheverry, winner earlier over the Brazilian Thiago Wild 6-3, 7-5.

Novak Djokovic, the other attraction of the Roman tournament in the absence of the Italian Jannik Sinner, injured in a hip, is still in the running, but was the unintentional victim of an unusual incident on Friday evening. At the end of his easily won match against Frenchman Corentin Moutet 6-3, 6-1, Djokovic, 36 ans, was knocked unconscious by a water bottle that fell from the stands while he was signing autographs for spectators below.

After a few hours of confusion, organizers announced Friday evening that Djokovic had a minor injury to the top of his head which required the use of surgical glue. The Serb confirmed overnight that everything was fine and that he will be able to play his third round match on Sunday. This Saturday, the tennis player, who likes to clown, published on his X account a video of him arriving at the tournament with a bicycle helmet on his head captioned: “Today, I came dressed.”