Italian Open 2024: Rafael Nadal sends Zizou Bergs packing in three-set first round match

Rafael Nadal was a tad off-colour during his match against Zizou Bergs, but then showed the young Belgian why he’s a 10-time champ on this clay court.

Rafael Nadal, who is playing only his second tournament after a long injury break, won his first round match in Rome

Zizou Bergs, the 24-year-old Belgian No. 2 tennis player, shares his birthday with his 37-year-old first round opponent, 10-time Italian Open winner Rafael Nadal. He was still a toddler when Nadal won his first ATP tournament. At first glance, their Italian Open draw seemed like a foregone conclusion – Nadal, playing what will likely be his last time on Centre Court in Rome would send Bergs scampering and how. But then, he has not played much tennis in a while, while nursing an injury, which meant Nadal was ranked a lowly 305 in this tournament.

As the match began, it seemed that Nadal’s long injury break notwithstanding, his years of experience on his favourite clay surface would give him the edge over 24-year-old Bergs. Nadal broke Bergs serve early on, only to have the youngster bounce right back and then go on to snatch the first set 6-4.

In the second set, the tides turned and Nadal was in cruise mode, serving for the set at 5-3, when it seemed that Zizou wasn’t going to have him win the game that easily. Nadal persevered, winning the set 6-3 and heading into the decider. In the third set, Nadal decided to take charge early on, which was evident in his immaculate recovery after he slipped and fell – One moment he was on the floor, the next, he was already sprinting across court to hit a volley. It’s that level of athleticism that makes one wonder if this man really just spent months out of action.

Italian Open 2024: Live stream ATP Masters 1000 clay court tournament

In the middle of the set, though, Zizou made him sweat through his serve, having to stave off 3 game points – there he was on 3-2 and 0-40, only to then win the next 5 points on trot and the game. He went on to clinch the match with a 6-4 third set. Speaking after the match, Nadal said that it is always a pleasure to play in Rome, but admitted that he wasn’t at his A-game. “I played better in practice than I did today; can do better. But then, I did not play much tennis in the last three years. I look forward to come back for the next match,” he said.

On May 11, Nadal takes on Hubert Hurcacz in round 2 of the Italian Open. Catch all the tennis action live on SonyLIV with OTTplay Premium’s Powerplay pack. Enjoy 35+ OTTs like ZEE5, LionsgatePlay, Ullu, SunNXT, SonyLIV, Fancode and 250+ Live TV channels at just ₹99.

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