Rafael Nadal received a warm welcome as he entered the clay court at La Caja Majica stadium in Madrid for his second-round match against Alex de Minaur at the ongoing Mutua Madrid Open on April 27.
Nadal dominated the first-round match against 16-year-old American Darwin Blanch, securing a 6-1, 6-0 win. The victory led the 22-time Grand Slam winner to face tenth seed Alex de Minaur, who had previously defeated Nadal at the Barcelona Open. Nadal’s career has been affected by multiple injuries; notably, a severe hip injury at the 2023 Australian Open caused him to miss the rest of the season.
The former ATP World No. 1 returned to action this season at the Brisbane International, but a fresh injury forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open, the Qatar Open, the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, the Miami Open, and the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Despite making another comeback, Nadal has said he is not yet fully fit. His showdown with Alex de Minaur began with a tense exchange with the chair umpire. Nadal, who is usually calm and composed, initially led 2-0 in the first set and went on to win the set 7-6(6). However, during the third game, he stopped play believing a shot from de Minaur was out, and when the umpire ruled against him, Nadal demanded an explanation. According to the umpire, Nadal had not challenged the decision quickly enough, which led to a heated argument with the Spaniard calling for the supervisor.
