“A great future in front of him”: Rafael Nadal has kind words for Darwin Blanch after crushing win

Rafael Nadal is in the second round of the Madrid Open 2024 after overwhelming in his debut the 16 year old American promising player, Darwin Blanch, by 6-1 and 6-0. In the next match he will face Alex de Miñaur, who comes from beating him a few days ago at the Barcelona Open and will mean a much more challenging duel for the Spaniard.

After the match, Nadal spoke to the ATP Tour microphones, where he talked about his feelings, what he feels playing in his country, perhaps for the last time, and leaving some nice and comforting words for his opponent of the day:

“I think today I played against someone with a great future in front of him. Today he was making mistakes. I tried to be there and be solid all the time without taking a lot of risks. Happy to be through. Wish him all the best future.

“It’s great. For me after how things developed the last few years, every time I have a chance to be on court on this amazing stadium with unconditional support means a lot to me. Trying to enjoy every moment. Tomorrow one more day of practice here and the day after tomorrow I’ll be on court again. That makes me feel great.”

Finally, he also responded to the question in Spanish, leaving a similar message:

"A victory that gives me the opportunity to play here in Madrid, which means a lot to me. The level I think has been correct, I have not complicated my life too much, he is a young player with great potential but still makes mistakes. I have been focused, I think without making many mistakes, solid, I think I did what I had to do as the first day, and it was enough. That gives me the opportunity to continue and I think he has a great future ahead of him but he has to get even more experience, correct the mistakes, and well, day by day."