Rafael Nadal battled into the fourth round of the Madrid Open with a hard-fought win over Argentina’s Pedro Cachin.
The 37-year-old is still playing within himself as he bids to build his fitness for the French Open next month.
He cruised through the first set but lost a scrappy second in a tie-break before eventually sealing a 6-1 6-7 (5) 6-3 victory in a little more than three hours.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner will next be up against the Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka in the pre-quarters on Tuesday, April 30.
In his admission, Nadal experienced several highs and lows when facing Cachin. In the opening set, Nadal dominated and looked like he was ready to end the contest quickly. But Cachin managed to hold on in the second set tiebreaker and win the match in the decisive set. Nadal did not turn around after taking an early break in the third set.
Nadal said that some unpredictable brand of tennis helped him have the last laugh over his opponent from Argentina.
“Some moments were good. Some moments are not good. I found a way to be through. In the 3rd set even with some mistakes I was able to be a bit more unpredictable. That changed the match,” Nadal added.
Although the 37-year-old Nadal acknowledged that it was an honour to play in front of his home audience, he isn't ready to look too far forward just yet.
“Now I’m enjoying. Let’s see how I wake up tomorrow, no? I don’t know. Day by day... I’m enjoying the fact that I’m playing at home means everything to me. Just trying my best to keep dreaming. Tomorrow is another day to keep dreaming and playing in front of this amazing crowd. It’s everything,” Nadal said.