“I lost day after day with the kids”: Rafael Nadal reveals how things changed in last three and half weeks after securing last-16 berth in Madrid

Spain’s legendary tennis star Rafael Nadal has revealed that things have improved drastically for him in the last few weeks. The 37-year-old is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the Open era, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles.

Nadal has struggled with fitness concerns in the recent past which is why he missed three out of the four Grand Slams in 2023. The former world number one recently returned to the court earlier this year where he suffered another injury which ruled him out of action for nearly four months. Nadal, who finally managed to return to action during the Barcelona Open, is currently taking part in the Madrid Open where he has already booked his place in the round of 16 after beating Pedro Cachin with a score of 6-1, 6-7, 6-3.

Talking about his performance in the ongoing mega-event, the 14-time French Open winner revealed that things have drastically improved in the recent past as just three weeks back, he was unable to serve properly. "Three and a half weeks ago in Manacor I was unable to serve,” he said. “I lost day after day with the kids at the academy. That's the truth. There is progress. I have to recover the automatisms, the speed... That's what the victories and that's where we are. Let's see if I'm able to play two days in a row with guarantees of competing. I hope so but it's an unknown.”