Rafael Nadal wins in two legs against Pedro Cachin in the third round in Madrid

If Rafael Nadal wanted to test his physique and concentration, he was served on Monday in the third round of the Masters 1000 in Madrid. The Spaniard had to fight for 3h02′ to get rid of Pedro Cachin (29 years old, 91st in the world), 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3. A few highs, quite a few lows, but Nadal stayed true to his image as the ultimate fighter. And it was when we thought he had been hit by the loss of the second set that he set off again to attack a rival who may be regretting his lack of commitment and inability to rush into the break.

Nadal played a false first set. Facing a Cachin who was coming off fifteen consecutive defeats before arriving in Madrid and who appeared very anxious, the Mallorcan won the round 6-1, in 47 minutes. Almost too easy to be true. But the second round would reveal a serious drop in intensity, both physically and mentally. Nadal spent the entire set surviving, first by recovering two breaks behind (1-4), dismissing two set points on two forehand misses from the Argentine, saving his skin at 5-6, then coming back from 1-4 down in the decider . game. But at 5 points, Cachin finally hit two winning shots. The match was restarted and the clock showed 2h11′.

A reassuring third set on a physical level

The third set was to prove that Nadal still had it under his belt. Despite his 37 years, he was the one who pressed the mushroom button by unleashing some formidable accelerations and asked no questions about the damping. It is clear that physics held up. Break in the pocket (2-0), he was caught (2-2), but a final break in the fifth game was enough for him to go for victory.

In the round of 16, the 512th in the world meets Jiri Lehecka (31st), who defeated Thiago Monteiro, 6-4, 7-6 (7). Nadal has not lost in Madrid before the quarter-finals since 2012. That was in the third round, against Fernando Verdasco.