Test by fire for Nadal in Rome against a surprising and unprecedented rival

“It’s time to push, to lose the fear of breaking. I have to push and if I break, then I break“. Rafa Nadal will face the Masters 1000 in Rome knowing that it is the last test before the big challenge of this stage of the season: Roland Garros.

The Balearic player suffered a lot to beat the Belgian Zizou Bergs in his debutwhom he defeated 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 after a fierce battle of almost three hours in which he was forced to approach his best level to make a comeback.

“I see it as something very positive. Even though I didn’t play well which for me is a bit surprising, on the other hand it’s not surprising because I haven’t played in almost two years. I have to accept that my level is a bit irregular. It’s not like it used to be, everything is very stable.“he said in a press conference.

It needs to be more regular this Saturday in what will be his first big test of the season. He measures himself against a top 10 player like Hubert Hurkacz. The Pole, number 9 in the world and seventh seedwill make his debut in the Italian tournament after a rather irregular start to the clay court season.

After winning the first clay title of his career in Estoril, Hurkacz was unable to advance to the round of 16 at the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo and Madrid, where he lost in two sets to players of the same level and ranking, Casper Ruud (6-4, 6-2) and Taylor Fritz (7-6, 6-4) .

Surprisingly, this will be the first confrontation between the two. Despite being elite for years, Nadal and Hurkacz have never met in an official match, adding another point of uncertainty to a match that should serve to gauge the true level of the former world number 1 in his attempt to return to the tennis elite.