The suspense lasted two games and around twenty minutes. The first, hung on the service of Hubert Hurkacz, on which the Spaniard obtained break points. The second, on that of Rafael Nadal. Upset, Rafa ended up getting out of it. Before conceding six games in a row. Too strong, the Pole folded the second set with barely less ease: 6-1, 6-3 in an hour and a half, thank you and goodbye.
Two weeks before Roland-Garros, Rafael Nadal nevertheless sent some positive signals compared to his previous outings in terms of travel. He appeared less slow, a little more energetic. But the wall that separates him from the world elite of which he is no longer part, not even on his favorite surface, has never seemed as big as this Saturday.
Stratospheric Hurkacz, Rafa far from the mark
To be put into perspective by the perfection of the match delivered by the Pole, for whom everything succeeded, like the passing let synonymous with a decisive break on the opponent’s service in the second set. But two weeks before Roland-Garros, it is becoming more and more difficult to nourish any optimism around Rafa, far from being ready for his farewell tournament at the French Open. “He is bigger than this sport,” said Hurkacz, while recalling the Spaniard’s “20 years” of domination, particularly on clay.