Rafael Nadal made a routine start to what is presumably his final appearance at the Mutua Madrid Open, cruising past Darwin Blanch 6-1, 6-0 during first-round action on Thursday evening. Nadal needed only one hour and four minutes to advance.
It was the biggest age difference in a match (Nadal is 37, Blanch is 16) in ATP Masters 1000 history.
Playing in just his third event of this season and still not 100 percent physically following a major hip injury, Nadal doesn’t figure to be a title contender in Madrid. Still, he has now won at least one match in all three of his 2024 tournaments and is simply content to be back on tour–especially on his clay-court stomping grounds and at home in Spain.
“The goal is be on court (and) enjoy as long as possible,” Nadal said during his pre-tournament press conference. “That’s the thing–try to finish the tournament alive in terms of body issues, and enjoy the fact that I will be able to compete one more time in the professional tour and here at home in Madrid–a place that give me everything in terms of support.”
Nadal is a five-time champion of the Madrid Masters, with four titles on clay and one on hard courts (2005).
Next up for the 22-time Grand Slam champion on Saturday is Alex de Minaur, who was also Nadal’s second-round opponent last week in Barcelona. De Minaur emerged victorious in that matchup 7-5, 6-1.
