Wimbledon 2022: Rafael Nadal Wins The 1st Round Amid Covid Scares!

Rafael Nadal progressed to the second round at Wimbledon 2022 after a tough first-round win amid Covid-19 scares in his half of the draw. After winning the first two majors of the year for the first time, the Spaniard would hope to win at Wimbledon. He is returning to the All England Lawn Tennis Club after three years. Nadal played against Francisco Cerundolo and beat him by 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in a three-hour 33 minutes encounter. With his first win at Wimbledon this year, Rafa has been unbeaten for the last 15 major games. His wins at the Australian Open and French Open earned him a record (22) Grand Slam titles. Talking after the game, Rafael said the important thing was that he was in Wimbledon 2022 and won his first match.

Meanwhile, several players were forced to pull off from Wimbledon after covid broke into Nadal\’s half of the draw. Players like Matteo Berrettini and Marin Cilic have retracted from the draw. Rafa was drawn to face Cilic in the fourth round and Berrettini in the semifinals. Wimbledon did not impose pandemic restrictions. Thus, vaccination and testing were not mandatory for players to participate in the tournament.

Nadal To Meet Djokovic In Wimbledon Finals

Rafa has returned to SW19 for the first time since 2019 and hopes to win his first Wimbledon title since 2005. The 26-year-old is drawn to meet Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon finals. Nole is the defending champion, and he is almost unbeatable on the grass. Therefore, it won\’t be an easy feat for Nadal to win his third major in a row this year.

Rafa shared that he was happy to be back on the amazing surface after missing out for three years. Ths Spaniard said that players do not place on the grass surface very often, And in his case, Rafa claimed that he did not step on the grass court in the last three years. He added, \”So I always take a while. As I know, every day is a test and today has been one of these important tests, no?\”

Talking about his chronic foot injury, Rafael said it would be tough at the beginning of the tournament with the physical situation he came in. Thus, Nadal felt that the first-round victory was the most important thing as it would give him a chance to practice and have another match in two days. Rafa concluded, \”And I\’m happy for that, without a doubt.\”