Rafael Nadal, who is attempting a final return to form at almost 38 years old, explained that he had to “regain confidence in (his) body”, after his first victory against a top 20 player in almost a year and half, at the Masters 1000 in Madrid on Saturday. Nadal beat the 11th player in the world, the Australian Alex de Minaur (7-6 (8/6), 6-3) in just over two hours in the 2nd round. “I have to be convinced that my physique will respond to change my perspective (on Roland-Garros). It’s not a match that will change my perspective. I need to regain confidence in my body. Afterwards, I have to regain confidence in myself, in my tennis,” explains the Spaniard at the 14 Roland-Garros.
“Let’s not get carried away by the emotion of a match either. There are a lot of things to adjust. At least I’m competitive. It was a very positive match. I was able to do things that I didn’t do last week (in Barcelona). In training, the last three days have been slightly better physically, that’s also positive, he explains. I managed to maintain a more or less correct physical level and level of play for a little over two hours. My body held on. It is very important for me. Now let’s see how I recover and what state I wake up in tomorrow (Sunday).”
Asked once again about Roland Garros, which opens in a month, Nadal described what would guide his decision in the coming weeks: “If I have the hope of having the means to play a few days in a row , to fight for the balls that I have to fight to get out of, I will go. If I know my body won’t last the whole tournament, I won’t go. If I can’t dream, even a little bit, about what could happen, it doesn’t make sense. I prefer to keep all the extraordinary memories I have there,” he concludes.
“I played two matches last week. If all goes well, this week I will play a third. That’s at least five matches in two weeks. This is an important step forward for me. I hadn’t been able to do that for two years, recalls Nadal. It gives me a chance to continue to test myself.”
