Rafael Nadal on "progress" after Madrid Open 3R win - "Three and a half weeks ago I was unable to serve...lost day after day with kids at the academy"

Rafael Nadal has admitted that he is making progress in terms of returning to full fitness following his win over Pedro Cachin in the third-round of the ongoing Madrid Open.

While the 22-time Grand Slam winner got off to the best possible start by winnning the first set 6-1, he was pegged back by Cachin in the second, losing the set to the Argentine after a tense tiebreak.

However, Nadal once again asserted his superiority in the third set and won it 6-3 to book his spot in the fourth round of the ATP Masters 1000 event after battling for three hours and 12 minutes. The 37-year-old won three matches in a row for the first time since the 2022 Wimbledon Championships

Following the conclusion of his match against Cachin, Nadal told the press about an ugly "truth" that stared him in the face less than four weeks ago. The Spaniard revealed that he struggled with his serve during practice at his Manacor academy and was losing practice matches to kids, which is why his current run indicates "progress".

"Three and a half weeks ago in Manacor I was unable to serve. I lost day after day with the kids at the academy. That's the truth. There is progress. I have to recover the automatisms, the speed... That's what the victories and that's where we are. Let's see if I'm able to play two days in a row with guarantees of competing. I hope so but it's an unknown," Nadal said during a press conference.

Rafael Nadal admitted to having difficulties playing three-hour matches following second-round loss in Barcelona

Rafael Nadal looking dejected during his second-round loss to Alex de Minaur at the Barcelona Open

Nadal's recent admission in Madrid carries significant weight because after his loss to de Minaur in Barcelona, he said that he could not "afford to play a three-hour game".

"Losing the first set, I couldn't fight for the match and it was over. I play with what I have and there are moments that don't matter. Nowadays, I can't afford to play a three-hour game," Nadal had said to the press after his Barcelona Open farewell.

The Spaniard's next opponent in Madrid is 30th seed Jiri Lehecka, who made his way into the fourth-round after beating Hamad Medjedovic and Thiago Monteiro. The winner of the match will face either third seed Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 event.