Rafael Nadal overcame a big scare to seal his place in the last 16 of the Madrid Open in what could be the last ATP event he plays on home soil before retiring. 

The former world No.1 started off in convincing fashing before enduring a taxing battle during his 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3, win. Nadal’s lacklustre victory extends his remarkable record against players ranked outside the Top 50 on clay since the start of the 2005 season. The Spaniard has now won 162 out of 163 of those matches. 

Although it was a far from perfect performance from the five-time Madrid winner who hit 32 unforced errors compared to 36 winners and got broken four times. During certain stages of the match, he looked to be far from his best but managed to weather the storm with the help of his fierce fighting spirit. 

“Some moments were good and some moments were not good. I found a way to get through,” Nadal told TennisTV afterwards.
“I think in the third set, even with some mistakes, I was able to be a little bit more unpredictable and that probably changed the match.”

Two days after claiming his first win over a top 20 player on the Tour in 18 months, Nadal looked sharp early on against world No.91 Cachin who came into the tournament on a 15-match losing streak. He worked his way through the opening set with relative ease by winning six out of the first seven games played without facing a single break point. 

However, in the second set things started to unravel for the 22-time Grand Slam winner as his Argentine opponent seized his chance by breaking twice en route to a 4-1 lead. Cachin then had a chance to serve the set out but crumbled at the worst possible moment. Losing two set point opportunities by hitting a forehand error on both of them.

The rollercoaster battle continued with more below-par shotmaking from both men. Nadal ended up getting broken before breaking Cachin to love in the following game to force a tiebreaker. It was in the tiebreak when the underdog finally managed to come out on top by hitting back-to-back forehand winners to force a decider. In doing so he became the first player to ever beat Nadal in a tiebreak in Madrid. 

Playing in front of a packed stadium, the noise of the crowd fluctuated throughout the encounter with some fearing Nadal might be on his way out of the tournament. However, this wasn’t to be the case as he battled towards the finish line after more than three hours of play.  Sealing victory on his first match point after a Cachin forehand error.

“Now I am enjoying (his tennis) but let’s see how I wake up in the morning. I don’t know.” Nadal replied when asked his much of his experience in Madrid is pleasure compared to pain. 
“Day by day I’m enjoying the fact that playing at home means everything to me. I just try my best to keep dreaming and tomorrow is another day to keep dreaming and playing in from of this amazing crowd. For me, that is everything.”

Nadal’s latest triumph at the Caja Magica coincides with the 22nd anniversary of his first Tour-level win at the 2002 Majorca Open when he beat Ramón Delgado at the tender age of 15. Overall, he has recorded 1,074 ATP wins which is the fourth-highest in the Open Era. 

Nadal will play 30th seed Jiri Lehecka in the next round.

Any gay player who travels to compete in Saudi Arabia will be safe to play, according to the WTA Tour’s highest-ranked openly LGBT player. 

Daria Kasatkina has told BBC Sport that she has been given ‘assurances’ that those who identify as LGBT will not face any problems. Saudi Arabia has been accused of sportswashing amid concerns about their human rights record. Those in the country argue that improvements have been made, especially concerning women’s rights. However, it is more complicated when it comes to the topic of homosexuality. 

Same-sex relationships are not codified under Saudi law. However, they draw their legal framework from Sharia (Islamic law) which forbids homosexuality. The British Foreign Office says legal action against LGBT travellers is ‘uncommon‘ but same-sex couples are advised to ‘be aware of local customs and avoid showing affection in public.” There is no independent data or records regarding the levels of prosecution of those who are LGBT and living in Saudi Arabia. 

“I’ve been given guarantees that I’m going to be fine,” said Kasatkina. 

The topic of gay rights in Saudi Arabia and tennis comes ahead of the WTA Finals being held in the country for the first time. Only the top eight players will secure a place in the tournament. Currently, Kasatkina is in 11th place but is just over 200 points outside of the eighth spot. 

“If I qualify, it means that I am top eight in the world – it’s great news for me,” she said.
“We see that the Saudis now are very into the sport, they want to develop the sport. And as long as it gives the opportunity to the people there, and the young kids and the women to actually see the sport – so that they can watch it, they can play it, they can participate in this, I think it’s great.”

Kadatkina is not the only openly gay player to have such views when it comes to tennis in Saudi Arabia. Last year Belgium’s Greet Minnen told Ubitennis she was confident that the WTA will ensure that there is a safe environment for LGBT players. 

“All the LGBT+ players are wise enough to not provoke anything or hold hands when we are not at the (tennis) club,” she said.
“I think we have to respect the culture there but it’s not going to be an issue as the WTA will make sure it is a safe environment for us.
“If Saudi Arabia is willing to put more tournaments on the calendar, I think it is very good.”

Whilst there are a series of out-payers currently playing on the women’s Tour, there is currently none in the men’s game. 

The WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia will take place later this year in November. 

In the last match of the day the No. 5 in the world comfortably seals a 64 75  win and reaches the round of 16 in the Mutua Madrid Open for his seventh time

The Madrid nocturne was poised for entertaining drama when Alexander Zverev and Denis Shapovalov stepped on court at 11 pm. The German looking to emulate his past glorious runs in Madrid, where his name is engraved in the history book as a two-time winner.

And Shapovalov, in his strenuous attempt to retrieve his pre-injury tennis and ranking standards. Let’s not forget he was a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2021 and a top 10. And let’s not forget aesthetics, the 25-year-old being one of those players endowed with a unique, inimitably stylish leftie game.

Yet the match fell somewhat short of expectations. Too many unforced errors oozing from the Canadian, who was perpetually struggling to hold serve and just as perpetually was unable to pose a threat to Zverev’s, but for a little help in the final stages.

Yes, there were applause-ripping points, plenty enough for editing pleasing highlights, but the match was a lop-sided one, far more than is told by the score.

 Shapovalov was already struggling to hold serve in the third game, when he faced two break points.              

In game 5 two double faults resulted in two further break points. However, Shapovalov, mixing up power and delicacy, alias first services and dropshots. managed to emerge from trouble.

To sum up, the first 6 games had gone with serve, though Zverev had denied access, whereas Shapovalov had  had to save four break points.

Zverev earned three break points in the seventh, after scything an extraordinary backhand volley on the stretch. And this time Shapovalov did not succeed in bouncing back.

A higher first serve percentage – 72%, including 7 aces – and more effective returning granted Zverev the first set.  As well as a predominance in the scarce longer rallies.

Often does the wind change direction at the start of a second set, but Shapovalov insisted on overly indulging in dropshots, resulting in predictability, and lost his service in the first game.

When he faced a break point in the fifth game, after leading 40 15, it seemed as if he was about to throw in the towel. Instead he threw in a backhand passing shot, nimbly flicked with his wrist, and held on.

Back on serve – just a few minutes later, so rapidly did Zverev’s service games whizz past – he saved 5 more break  points with flashes of talent, forays to the net, winning forehands  from all positions.

The match seemed to be edging towards the closing credits, when Zverev was serving for the match at 54.  But never write off panache in tennis. After an overall erratic performance, Shapovalov netted a forehand passing shot, which would have earned him a break point and an assumedly last chance. In turn Zverev netted a match point, suddenly tightened up and ended up dropping his serve, when Shapovalov won a humanly inexplicable rollercoaster point ultimately scooping up a ball from under the net and steering it past his opponent.  

Could the plot take a different twist?

Shapovalov, who had seemed fired up after grabbing the break, abruptly deflated and disappointed expectations by losing his service to love.

Serving a second time for the match, Zverev faltered once more and faced his second break point in the match, which would have meant tie break and a leap into the unknown.

His most formidable weapon, his serve, picked up again and just in time. Three thundering first serves ushered him into the round of 16, where he will be facing Francisco Cerundolo, a resilient winner of Tommy Paul in three sets.