Every Nadal fan was devastated when he announced after the second round at Roland Garros that he was withdrawing from the tournament because of a left wrist injury. How could he suffer another injury just as he was showing signs of “vintage Nadal”? How could the fates be so cruel? I was very glad to hear that he had made the Spanish team but a part of me is still worried about his wrist, is it fully healed? Nadal is entered in all three events: singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Is he taking on too much too soon?
Only Nadal and his team know the answers to those questions. I was curious to see how he would perform in his first match since his two months plus layoff. The match started off very tight as both players tried to work through their nerves. They traded breaks until Nadal consolidated to go up 4-2 and then broke again to win the first set 6-2. The second set was a much better performance from Nadal. I did not see the shaky Nadal of recent times, today I saw the Nadal that was once a dominant number one on the ATP Tour.
Is it too soon to make an accurate assessment of Nadal’s return? Perhaps, but I was impressed by his movement, serving and his demeanor. There is never any doubt that Nadal will fight, and he has maintained that competitive trait. He won 6-2, 6-1 and moves on the second round.
I, like you, can only hope that his wrist is properly healed. He did say…after the match…that there are still some twinges in that wrist. However, he did look good…much like “old Rafa”. We can only hope that all is well with him and back to normal.