Rafa Nadal made his professional debut Thursday in Mexico, a country where he rose to fame at the age of 18, defeating Norwegian Casper Ruud 7-6(7) 6-4 in an exhibition match in a bullring in Mexico City with more than 30,000 fans in its stands.
before the conflictNadal assured that this meeting was “possibly” his last game as a professional in the North American countrywhere in 2005 he won his first major title, the Acapulco Open, which in 2022 he won for the fourth time in his career.
“It is an unforgettable feeling to live in this environment in Mexico. I can only say thank you for the unconditional supportThis is a country that treats me like another Mexican. It’s hard for me to say goodbye to you,” Nadal said at the end of the match, his first in the Mexican capital.
The top grand slam winner of 22 defeated Ruud 7-6(7) in the first setwhere after the first 12 games no one could break their serve due to the complications they went through to adapt to the altitude of Mexico City, at 2,240 meters above sea level.
In the tiebreak, the Spaniard made two double faults and he dropped a few set points, but still managed, with his good net game and failures, to continue the match.
Nadal showed his best tennis in the second set, which he won 6-4. The Spaniard saved his serve three times in the fourth game, en route to victory.
With the public on his side, the Spaniard broke Ruud’s serve in the ninth ‘game’, to close out the tenth without a problem. with a Norwegian who suffered from the breadth of Nadal’s field.
This is the last game of the Latin American tour that both started on November 23 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a victory for the Spanish.
After that, they met in Belo Horizonte, Brazil and in Bogotá, Colombia, with another pair of victories for Nadal.until on November 27 Ruud beat the Iberian for the first time in his career in Quito, Ecuador.
Rafa also played a friendly duel in Santiago, Chile on November 25, against local Alejandro Tabilo, whom he also defeated.
Before the exhibition of the Europeans, the Mexican couple of Renata Zarazúa and Santiago González defeated the Canadian Leylah Fernández and the American Jack Sock 6-3, 6-4.
Source: La Verdad
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