"Not yet, the old Rafa needs time" - Rafael Nadal maintains low expectations despite stunning win in Madrid Open 2R

Rafael Nadal revealed that he was maintaining low expectations after defeating No. 10 seed Alex de Minaur in the second round of the 2024 Madrid Open on April 28.

Nadal saw off teenager Darwin Blanch 6-1, 6-0 in the first round in Madrid. He then faced Alex de Mianur in the second round, which was a rematch of their Barcelona Open clash earlier in April, where the Aussie emerged victorious. This time around Nadal was triumphant after a two-hour and two-minute contest, with a scoreline of 7-6(6), 6-3.

In the on-court interview, the Spaniard was asked if 'old Rafa' was back. He said that it needed some more time and that he was happy to be competitive against top players.

“No, no.. not yet (laughs). It needs time. I think for moments it was a good level of tennis. I was able to do positive things. But it’s still on and off. Super happy to be able to be competitive against a great player like Alex. Playing over 2 hours means a lot to me," he said in the on-court interview.

The king of clay also complemented the atmosphere and thanked the spectators.

"The atmosphere is just a joke. Just can’t thank everybody here enough,” he said.

The interviewer then asked him if he believed that he could achieve great things again.

Nadal said that he would remain cautious and take it step by step to see how well he recovers.

"I don’t know. I really believe that tennis has not been an issue for the last two years, more a physical issue. If I am able to play weeks in a row and if I am able to play tennis, then I am going to see how far I can go and how competitive I could be but that’s not the case yet. Just step by step and let's see how I recover," he said.

Rafael Nadal to face Pedro Cachin in Madrid Open 2024 3R

2024 Madrid Open

Rafael Nadal will now face Argentine Pedro Cachin in the third round of the 2024 Madrid Open. Cachin defeated Sebastian Ofner 6-3, 6-3 in the first round before pulling off an upset in the second round by cutting No. 20 seed Frances Tiafoe's run short after a three-set thriller. The eventual score read 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-4.

Cachin had lost 10 straight matches before notching up two wins on the trot at the Madrid Open and currently holds a 2-10 win-loss record this year.

This is the first encounter between Nadal and Cachin. The winner of this matchup will face either Jiri Lehecka or Thiago Monteiro in the fourth round.