Rafael Nadal wants to lose the feeling of fear after winning Rome opener. tennis news

Rafael Nadal said he cannot afford to be haunted by injury after struggling in the second round of the Rome Open on Thursday, with Roland Garros looming on the horizon. Clay court icon Nadal came back from a set down to beat qualifier Zizou Bergs 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Italian capital. The Spaniard will need to improve on this when he faces his next opponent, the World Cup. Number nine Hubert Hurkacz. Should he advance, Nadal also has last year’s winner, world number four Daniil Medvedev and defeated finalist Holger Rune in his sights.

The 37-year-old took almost three hours to defeat Belgian Bergs as he continued his comeback and bid to play at Roland Garros, possibly for the last time.

Nadal has in recent times become a shadow of the player who won 22 Grand Slams in his career, including a record 10 titles in Rome, struggled with injuries and dropped to 305 in the world rankings after missing almost all his titles. Went. Last year.

“I only have Roland Garros in a week and a half… I need to prove to myself if I’m able to push my body to the limit, feel ready for what’s to come,” Nadal told reporters. “I need to push to do it.”

“I’m not just talking about Roland Garros. I’m talking about the next match. I need to get over this fear. Matches like today help.”

“Some moments I was going fast. Some moments not. I need to get used to it, to take that risk… I feel more ready than ever to try it.”

Nadal has said he will only play at the French Open, where he has won 14 times, if he feels competitive and although he showed glimpses of his old form against 108th-ranked Bergs, he struggled on his serve. And he looked far away from Grand. Slam Standard.

Bergs, a 24-year-old outsider, is an eight-time title winner on the Challenger Tour and has taken sets from high-profile players such as Stefanos Tsitsipas and Roon in previous tournaments.

The Belgian, who performed strongly, pushed his big-name opponent all the way, and for a while it looked as if he might win the biggest match of his career so far, before Nadal held on to seal the victory. Struggled for.

Osaka passed easily

Naomi Osaka continued her triumphant return to Rome by defeating Marta Kostyuk in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 to set up a third round meeting with 10th seed Daria Kasatkina.

Japan’s Osaka defeated Russia’s Kasatkina in the pair’s only other meeting, when Osaka won the 2018 Indian Wells final.

A day after returning to the Foro Italico after a three-year absence, Osaka defeated Kostyuk for her first win over a top 20-ranked opponent on clay.

Osaka is ranked 173rd in the world after taking a break from the tour for the birth of her first child, but she looked a class above Kostyuk after winning the rain-interrupted match in 71 minutes.

“I feel like, I don’t know, no matter what happens on the court, nothing will change for me off the court. Like, my daughter will still love me,” Osaka told reporters.

“I think that probably showed today. I hope that mentality stays and continues.”

Top seed Iga Swiatek advanced to the third round with a quick 6-0, 6-2 win against American Bernarda Pera.

Poland’s Swiatek was aggressive on the court and took just over an hour, 15 minutes to defeat her opponent as she showed why she is the woman to beat on the WTA Tour.

The three-time Roland Garros champion is looking to equal the number of wins he has won on Roman Clay and comes into this tournament having won the Madrid Open last weekend.

World number three Coco Gauff started her tournament with a straight-set 6-3, 6-3 win over Magdalena Frech, dominating her Polish opponent to set up a third-round tie with Jacqueline Christian.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)