"I saw Rafael Nadal close to his level in the past" - Alex de Minaur in awe of Spaniard after facing defeat at his hands in Madrid Open 2R

Alex de Minaur praised Rafael Nadal for rediscovering his former best self during their second-round match at the 2024 Madrid Open on April 27.

Alex de Minaur was the No. 10 seed at the 2024 Madrid Open and faced Rafael Nadal, who had entered the main draw via protected ranking, in the second round after a first-round bye. The Spaniard had kicked off his campaign at the Masters 1000 tournament earlier with a comfortable 6-0, 6-1 win against 16-year-old American Darwin Blanch.

This set up a second clash between Nadal and De Minaur in two weeks. The Australian had gotten the better of the former World No. 1, 7-5, 6-1, in the second round of the 2024 Barcelona Open. The Spaniard was out for revenge and played the best tennis since his return to tour earlier this year. He broke De Minaur four times to wrap up his first top 20 win since November 2022, 7-6(6), 6-3.

The Australian was in admiration of the 22-time Grand Slam champion's high level during their Madrid clash. He went as far as to say Nadal had rediscovered his former form and was on the top of every point, from start to finish. That is high praise, considering the 37-year-old was out of action for almost the entirety of 2023 and three months of 2024 due to injuries.

Alex de Minaur was also a bit disappointed by his own level of performance but accepted it as just another bad day.

"I think the level he gave today was quite high, things as they are. I would have liked to play a little better, that's true, but this is tennis. You try to give everything and there are days when you give the level and days that don't," De Minaur said (via Puntodebreak.com).

"These are exactly the things we expected. In Barcelona he was not prepared to play and it showed on the court, today I saw him close to his level in the past. For me, today he was at a very high level, at a very high intensity, from the first point to the end," he added.

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Rafael Nadal to face Pedro Cachin in Madrid Open Round 3

Pedro Cachin

Rafael Nadal will come up against Pedro Cachin in the third round of the 2024 Madrid Open on April 29. The Spaniard is yet to drop a set in the tournament so far. Meanwhile, Cachin has had a tough but very productive road to the third round.

Pedro Cachin was winless in his first 10 tournaments on the 2024 ATP Tour. However, he has done exceptionally well not only to break that streak but also to win two on the trot. He has so far bettered Sebastian Ofner and No. 20 seed Frances Tiafoe in Madrid.

Rafael Nadal, a five-time Madrid Open champion, would fancy his chances against Cachin. If he manages to win the third-round contest, the Spaniard has a very realistic path to the quarterfinals, with either Jiri Lehecka or Thiago Monteiro waiting in the fourth round.