Due to a stress fracture in his rib, Rafael Nadal had not played a match since losing the final at Indian Wells 45 days ago.
But today, at the Madrid Open, it was time for the Spanish star to play a tennis match again.
And since Nadal is a big Real Madrid fan, and wanted to have time to watch the favorite team's Champions League semi-final against Manchester City later on Wednesday night, the organizers had canceled his match in the afternoon.
Tiebreak in the second set
And the match also went pretty fast, so Nadal finished well before the football match.
The victory numbers were written to 6-1, 7-6 against the 32-ranked Serb Miomir Kecmanovic.
- When you come back from an injury, I always need to play many matches to get back to my best form.
Winning is important for self-confidence, says Nadal, according to the news agency AP.
Can touch records
Nadal is chasing his sixth title at the Madrid Open, and the first since 2017. If he were to win, it would be his 37th title in a Masters 1000 tournament, which is the highest level of tennis competition, after the Grand Slam and ATP playoffs.
In that case, he touches Novak Djokovic's record.
In the round of 16, Nadal will face Belgian qualifier David Goffin.