MADRID — Rafael Nadal didn’t need much effort as he cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 victory over American teenager Darwin Blanch in the first round of the Madrid Open.
Nadal looked in good form for just his third competitive match since returning from his latest injury layoff. He had made his return in Barcelona last week, losing in the second round to Alex De Minaur, who will also be his second-round opponent in Madrid on Saturday.
“I hope I can give my best and be competitive against De Minaur,” Nadal said according to AP. “Every time I have the chance to be on court in this amazing stadium with an unconditional supportive crowd, it means a lot to me.
Nadal, 37, has hinted at retirement several times this year but overcame the biggest age gap ever between two singles players at a Masters event to set up a second-round clash with 10th seed Alex de Minaur.
”It’s great after how things have developed the last few years, every time I have the chance to be on court in this amazing stadium with an unconditional supportive crowd, it means a lot to me,” Nadal said after the win.
Struggling with injury and currently ranked 644th in the world, Nadal said he will only compete at Roland Garros next month if he feels physically able.
He has won the French Open 14 times and would likely be making his final appearance in a tournament he has made his own in recent years.
The encounter marked the largest age gap (21 years, 117 days) between two opponents at an ATP 1000 tournament.
Blanch, playing only in his second ATP tour match, made 27 unforced errors. Nadal never faced a break point.
Nadal had arrived in Madrid saying he was not 100% fit, and that he was only going to play because the clay-court tournament was at home.
The record five-time champion in Madrid said, on Wednesday, that in his current condition he would not play if this was the French Open, a tournament he has won a record 14 times.
The Spaniard is trying to get back in shape for the tournament in Paris for what will likely be his last Roland Garros appearance. The French Open begins next month.
A 22-time Grand Slam champion, Nadal had hip surgery last summer and said 2024 would probably be his last year on tour. He had skipped Monte Carlo, and his last tournament had been in Brisbane in January, when he played three matches.
French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said: “We’re keeping our fingers crossed, especially for him.
“He knows he’s at home here. We will follow and support whatever he wishes to do.”
Nadal lost to De Minaur at the Barcelona Open last week and will be hoping to avenge that loss to go deeper into the tournament in Madrid.
Nadal, who is making his 20th appearance in Madrid this fortnight, will next face 10th seed Alex de Minaur, who ousted the Spaniard last week in Barcelona. The 92-time tour-level titlist leads their Lexus ATP series 3-2.
A five-time champion in Madrid, Nadal owns the most wins (57) at the Caja Magica, where the home favourite first claimed the title in 2008 and most recently triumphed in 2017.
”It’s great after how things have developed the last few years, every time I have the chance to be on court in this amazing stadium with an unconditional supportive crowd, it means a lot to me,” Nadal said.
Elsewhere, Charlie Woods fell short in his first-ever attempt to qualify for a US Open.
The 15-year-old, whose father is three-time US Open winner Tiger Woods, shot a 9-over 81 at the qualifier at The Legacy Golf & Tennis Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., Golfweek reported.
The US Open is scheduled for June 13-16 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club No. 2 in North Carolina. Players who aren’t tour pros can attempt to enter the tournament through local qualifiers, as Charlie Woods did.
The teen’s scorecard included one birdie, four bogeys and three double bogeys, per Golfweek. He shot a 40 on the front side and 41 on the back nine.
It’s been a busy stretch of golf for the younger Woods. He won a state high school championship with his team in Florida last fall, and in February, he played in a qualifying event for the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, a tournament formerly known as the Honda Classic.
