Can Miomir Kecmanovic beat Rafael Nadal at the Madrid Open, 15 years after his coach David Nalbandian did so?

On a nondescript October day in 2007, David Nalbandian walked onto the courts of Madrid and handed second seed Rafael Nadal a shock 6-1, 6-2 defeat in the quarterfinals. Unseeded in the tournament, the Argentinian proceeded to defeat third seed Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and then top seed Roger Federer in the final to seal his first Masters 1000 title.

By doing so, Nalbandian became the first, and to this day, the only, player to beat all three members of the fabled Big 3 in the same tournament. His current protege, Miomir Kecmanovic, has a shot at following his footsteps (partially) in 2022.

But before the Serb can potentially pit himself against Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, he has to defeat Nadal in the second round on Wednesday. Kecmanovic scored an impressive straight-sets victory over Alexander Bublik in his opener, but the 21-time Grand Slam champion is a different beast altogether.

The Serb knows as much, having lost his previous encounter against the World No. 4. Facing off at the 2020 Mexican Open, he succumbed to a straight-sets loss to the Spaniard.

This time, however, the 22-year-old will not be a pushover. Kecmanovic has 22 wins so far this year, two more than the Mallorcan. He has reached the quarterfinals in at least six tournaments, scoring impressive victories over Matteo Berrettini, Taylor Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime in the process.

Speaking to ATPTour.com, the Serb credited his coach Nalbandian for his incredible run of form, remarking that the Argentine has helped him a lot with strategizing and the mental side of the game.

“[David Nalbandian] has helped me out a lot. He has changed a lot of things,” Kecmanovic said. “We have worked on a lot of stuff that I didn’t notice before. The way I try to construct the points, the way I think during the points and also my shot-making. He has had a major impact in all areas really."

Good wins give you a lot of confidence moving forward to matches such as against Rafael Nadal: Miomir Kecmanovic

Miomir Kecmanovic reckons he has the necessary confidence to take on Rafael Nadal after some good wins

During the interview, Miomir Kecmanovic also recalled some of his big wins this season, suggesting that they have given him the confidence needed to play against Rafael Nadal on Wednesday.

"You get a lot of confidence from those runs in America. I earned good wins against [Matteo] Berrettini, Felix [Auger-Aliassime] and [Taylor] Fritz,” Kecmanovic said. “They were all playing amazing and I also had an incredible match against [Carlos] Alcaraz in Miami. They give you a lot of confidence moving forward to matches such as against [Rafael Nadal]."

Although the World No. 32 admitted that conditions in Madrid are a lot faster than the clay he is used to playing on, he hoped to make use of all the experience he has gathered this season to give the Spaniard a tough fight.

“The conditions here in Madrid are a lot faster than ‘normal’ clay, but I feel I should play better, looking at my previous results this season. I started pretty well today and hopefully I can keep it going. I have been playing a lot better in general," Kecmanovic said. "I am playing with a lot more confidence because I am winning a lot more."