"Rafael Nadal looked way better" - Andre Agassi's ex-coach Brad Gilbert suggests Spaniard's Madrid Open draw looks 'a lot better' after 2R win
Andre Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert recently suggested that Rafael Nadal's 2024 Madrid Open draw looked 'a lot better' after his second-round win over Alex de Minaur.
Five-time Madrid Open champion, Nadal kicked off what could potentially be his final Madrid Open tournament with a victory over 16-year-old American Darwin Blanch 6-1, 6-0 in the first round. He then went on to defeat De Minaur 7-6(6), 6-3 to secure his spot in the third round.
This win marked the Spaniard's first victory against a top-20 opponent since the 2022 ATP Finals. He also prevented Alex de Minaur, who had previously defeated him in the second round of the 2024 Barcelona Open, from becoming the first player to beat the 22-time Grand Slam champion in consecutive tournaments since Roger Federer in 2017 at the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open.
In the upcoming third round, Rafael Nadal will face Argentine Pedro Cachin. If he wins this match, he will then face the winner of the match between Jiri Lehecka and Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro in the fourth round.
Andre Agassi's former coach, Brad Gilbert recently took to social media to express his delight in Rafale Nadal's win over Alex de Minaur. He commented on the former World No.1's performance and suggested that the Spaniard's draw has significantly improved following his victory in the second round.
"Vamos-Rafa 💪 👍 looked way better today in taking out little Demon 👿 raw ◻︎ all of sudden looks 👀 a lot better," Gilbert posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Rafael Nadal will face Pedro Cachin in the third round at Madrid Open 2024
Rafael Nadal will next go up against World No. 91 Pedro Cachin in the third round of the 2024 Madrid Open. The Spaniard secured his spot in the third round after defeating Darwin Blanch and Alex de Minaur in the first and second rounds respectively.
After his victory over De Minaur, the former World No.1 expressed his satisfaction with his performance and that he was able to be "competitive" against a "great player." He also thanked the Madrid crowd for their support throughout the match
"I think for moments it has been a good level of tennis. I was able to do positive things, but still on and off. I'm super happy to be able to be competitive against a great player like Alex, play over two hours. It means a lot to me and the atmosphere here is just a joke, so I can't thank enough everybody here," the Spaniard said [via ATPTour.com].
Meanwhile, Pedro Cachin kicked off his Madrid Open campaign with a convincing 6-3, 6-3 win over Sebastian Ofner in the first round. He then went on to defeat Frances Tiafoe 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-4 in the second round to set up his third-round match against Rafael Nadal.