Jiri Lehecka played at the highest level of his life on clay and defeated Rafael Nadal in two sets at the Madrid Open. Rafa played at his best level since his return in Barcelona against the native of Mladá Boleslav, but could not beat him: he served to perfection and the shots from the back of the court ran him a lot.
However, this defeat of Rafa against the Czech is not negative at all, quite the contrary. As leaked by Carlos Moyà at the start of the tour in Barcelona, the Maracorí's goal was to play 10 matches before Roland Garros in order to arrive in the best possible shape for Paris: 2 at the Godó, 4 in Madrid and 4 in Rome.
So far this plan is being fulfilled to perfection: victory against Cobolli and defeat against De Minauur in Barcelona and victories against Blanch, De Minaur and Cachin and defeat against Lehecka in Madrid.
ILUSION
Obviously, none of this is mathematical. Rafa can now be eliminated in the first round in Rome or he can arrive in Paris and get injured in the first set he plays. But after the shock of the beginning of the year, with the withdrawal from Brisbane and Australia, to see that on clay the plan developed by his team is working, is more than positive;
Rafael Nadal is more confident after the 4 matches played in Madrid;
That said, now Rafa has to rest a few days before facing the Rome Masters, a test that, although emotionally it will be less important because it is not a Spanish tournament, in purely sporting terms it is much more important, since the conditions of the Italian tournament (played at sea level) are much more similar to Roland Garros than those of Madrid. There we will really start to see if Rafa has the level to compete in Paris.
As initially written on TenisAldia.ES.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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