“If there’s a tournament worth dying for, it’s Paris,” declared the legendary Rafael Nadal

Dominated by Alex De Minaur in the second round of the Barcelona tournament for his return after more than three months of absence, Rafael Nadal still has a way to go to be competitive before what is likely to be the last Roland-Garros of his career. But the Mallorcan is ready to make sacrifices to achieve this.

The day after an uneventful return against Italian Flavio Cobolli, Rafael Nadal fell on one leg. Against Australian Alex De Minaur, the 37-year-old Spaniard, with 22 Grand Slam titles, was subjected to the law of a player of a completely different caliber, currently at the gates of the world’s top 10, and who gave him the show. the extent of the road to be covered in order to hope to become master of clay again.

“6-1 in the second set is what had to happen today,” Nadal told a news conference, explaining he wanted to take it easy. “This is how I have to continue today, to give myself a chance to be competitive at Roland Garros,” he added. “I will try to take another step in Madrid, then in Rome, and if in a tournament it is worth giving everything and dying, it is in Paris.”

A physical state to perfect

Resilient and at times vintage in the first set, with some flashes reminding us of the extent to which his left arm is capable of doing damage, Nadal ran out of juice in a second one-sided set, paying for a physical condition to perfect and lack of obvious rhythm, especially in phases of exchanges with course changes, such as the many drop shots he did not pounce on.

If he gave up, against De Minaur, determined to win an always prestigious victory on earth, against ocher ogre, Nadal nevertheless did not betray any discomfort on the physical level. Weighed down by recurring pain, he had not played on the ATP circuit since a hip injury in Brisbane in early January.

For the Spaniard, however, it was a matter of not relapsing in view of the big challenge that awaits him in two months at Roland-Garros, where he dreams of nothing more than a 15th crown. He still has two months to improve his physical condition. His biggest challenge, of course.