"Rafael Nadal is the athlete I've admired the most; his hunger, willingness to suffer" - Chris Fowler on "warm feeling" after Spaniard's Madrid 2R win

Sports broadcaster Chris Fowler spoke of his admiration for Rafael Nadal following the Spaniard's impressive victory against Alex de Minaur in the second round of the ongoing Madrid Open.

Nadal came into the ATP Masters 1000 tournament on the back of a second-round and was once again drawn against him after a comprehensive 6-1, 6-0 win over Darwin Blanch.

However, things turned out different for the Spaniard in his nation's capital as he registered a 7-6(6), 6-3 win over De Minaur to reach the third round. He now has a 4-2 head-to-head lead over the Aussie.

Broadcaster Chris Fowler, who is an avid fan of Nadal, shared his thoughts on the match as well as his admiration for the Spaniard via social media.

The 61-year-old said that he got a "warm feeling" after witnessing Nadal's straight-set win over De Minaur. He also went on to say how Nadal's celebrations "mean more" considering the fact that this could be the former ATP World No. 1's final year on the ATP Tour.

"That gave me such a warm feeling, such a sense of inspiration today as I watched Rafa beat Alex de Minaur, a very tough Aussie, in Madrid. And even though we've seen that victory pose hundreds of times, they mean more right now," Fowler said on Instagram.

Furthermore, Fowler listed Nadal's qualities that made the Spaniard the athlete he admires the most.

"I've said this before, out of all the athletes I've covered across many different sports over the years, Rafa is the athlete I've admired the most. His hunger, his fighting spirit, willingness to suffer, but also, his humility, his humanity," Fowler added.

"Rafael Nadal was at a very high level" - Alex de Minaur

Rafael Nadal (L) and Alex de Minaur (R) ahead of their second-round match at the 2024 Madrid Open

During his post-match press conference, Alex de Minaur said that he felt as if he faced a version of Nadal from the past. The Aussie also talked about the difference between Nadal's performances against him in Barcelona and Madrid.

"These are exactly the things we expected. In Barcelona he was not prepared to play and it showed on the court, today I saw him close to his level in the past. For me, today he was at a very high level, at a very high intensity, from the first point to the end," de Minaur said.

Next up for Nadal is Pedro Cachin in the third round, with the winner facing either 30th seed Jiri Lehecka or Thiago Monteiro in the Round of 16 at the Madrid Open.