On Tuesday, April 30, Rafael Nadal’s comeback tour continues with a match against Jiri Lehecka in the Mutua Madrid Open. Nadal is coming off a 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3 win over Pedro Cachin in his last match—a 3:06 battle. It was nice to see Nadal, whose 2024 season has been shaped by health concerns, find a way through a long, physical match. However, it is a little concerning that Nadal needed to dig that deep in order to get by a player of Cachin’s caliber. And that makes it hard to believe in him against Lehecka.
Nadal has had some trouble in longer matches since returning, so conquering Cachin is at least a step in the right direction. But Nadal is now facing a much more talented player, and he’s doing so after a grueling match. It’ll be interesting to see how the Spaniard’s body holds up, as he’ll need to be close to 100% in order to defeat Lehecka.