Rafael Nadal easily beaten by Hubert Hurkacz in his biggest test on comeback yet at Italian Open 2024

Rafael Nadal's campaign at the 2024 Italian Open came to an end on Saturday after the Spaniard lost in straight sets to seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz in the second round. This is likely his final competitive match before the French Open, where Nadal will look to win a record-extending 15th title.

Hurkacz, taking on the 22-time Grand Slam champion for the first time, drew first blood with an early break of serve. From 3-1 up, the Pole took the opening set 6-1 in domineering fashion in a little under an hour. The Mallorcan won just eight points (out of 18) on his first serve and three (of six) on his second, with no aces.

The second saw began with Nadal holding his first game after a lengthy battle, only for Hurkacz to hold his own without barely breaking a sweat. The Pole broke his opponent's serve to take a 3-1 lead, just like in the first set. From there, he consolidated the lead to seal the match 6-1, 6-3 in a little under 100 minutes.

Hubert Hurkacz will next take on Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the third round in Rome, with the Argentine having beaten Thiago Seyboth Wild in the second round earlier today.

Nadal, meanwhile, will hope to get a lot of practice in before Roland Garros coming up at the end of the month. While there are a couple of ATP 250 events taking place the week before the French Open, it's not likely that the former World No. 1 will play in those events so close to Paris.

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What Rafael Nadal has said about his French Open 2024 participation

Internazionali BNL D'Italia 2024 - Day Six

Speaking to the press after his opening-round win over Zizou Bergs at the 2024 Italian Open, Rafael Nadal shed light on his readiness ahead of the French Open. The Spaniard admitted that he needed to push his body to the limit and see what he was capable, adding that, at the moment, he has not fully let go of that fear yet.

Nevertheless, the former World No. 1 was a lot more optimistic about his physical status in Rome than he was in Madrid and Barcelona, noting that he feels "more ready" to push himself now.

"I have Roland Garros in just two weeks and a half, so... Arrive a moment that I need to prove myself if I am able to push my body to the limit that I need to push to feel myself ready for what's coming," Nadal said.

"I need to lose this fear. Matches like today help. Some moments I was moving faster. Some moments not. I need to get used to that, to take that risk. It's a moment to me that happen. If something wrong happens, we going to accept it. But that's the moment to push. I feel more ready to try it than before," he added.

Nadal, having entered the French Open via a wildcard, runs the risk of drawing a seeded player in the first round event in Paris, perhaps even the likes of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner.