Experience over youth: Nadal does not give 16-year-old a chance in comeback in Madrid

Mutua Madrid Open

Rafael Nadal celebrated his return to Madrid with a resounding victory. 16-year-old Darwin Blanch didn’t stand a chance against the Spanish grandmaster: 6-1, 6-0.

Actually, he would have preferred to skip the tournament. But Rafael Nadal, who is probably in his last season, could not ignore the Madrid tournament. He took the overall victory 5 times.

So even though he didn’t feel “completely fit”, he still took on the only 16-year-old American Darwin Blanch in the 1st round.

It was not a challenge for his injury-prone body. Nadal barely had an hour of work with his young opponent, who was only playing his 2nd ATP match. With 6-1 and 6-0 the class difference was clear.

A bigger challenge awaits Nadal in the next round, when he will face Alex de Minaur, number 11 in the world. The Australian eliminated Nadal last week in the 2nd round in Barcelona.

Nadal hopes to prepare for his (last?) Roland Garros in Madrid. The 37-year-old Spaniard won the Grand Slam tournament in Paris no fewer than 14 times.

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