Rafael Nadal pictured – Photo Getty Images
Bublik – Carballés: Tension on the court at the Mutua Madrid Open 2024
Surprising scenes experienced during the Mutua Madrid Open 2024 match between Alexander Bublik and Roberto Carballés. The Kazakh’s attitude was provocative throughout the match, which was usual for him, creating moments of tension throughout the match. In fact, there were moments when the Kazakh imitated the Spaniard’s groan when hitting the ball.
However, the highlight occurred at the end of the match, when Bublik was leading 5-1 in the third set: he hit a ball between the legs and Carballés ended up losing the point. It seems that the attitude shown by Bublik at that point did not please the Spaniard who, in the following serve, decided to serve to Bublik’s body, both on the first and second balls.
Andy Murray returns to training after injury
Magnificent news comes from Andy Murray’s entourage: a video has been published in which the British player is already training. The serious ankle injury suffered in Miami seems to have resolved better and faster than expected, so much so that Andy has already started hitting the ball on the court. The fact that he does it on clay may be due to two reasons: he is looking for a less traumatic surface for the joints in these first contacts with the court or he sees himself with the possibility of arriving at Roland Garros 2024. Only time will tell us what the correct option.
Nadal’s dominance on clay: few consecutive defeats
Rafael Nadal’s dominance on clay is absolutely historic and, to demonstrate this, he has only lost two consecutive matches on this surface against three players. De Miñaur aspired to be fourth, but was deprived of it in Madrid by the Mallorcan’s excellent level. Those who succeeded were Fabio Fognini (Rio de Janeiro 2015 and Barcelona 2016), Gastón Gaudio (Hamburg 2003, Bastad 2004 and Buenos Aires 2005) and Novak Djokovic (Madrid and Rome in 2011, and Monte Carlo and Roland Garros, in 2015 ).
Lloyd Harris seeks return to top after injuries
Perhaps many have forgotten the figure of Lloyd Harris, but the South African has potential that he has not been able to put into practice for years due to an impressive series of injuries. At 27 years old, and after having fully recovered, he seeks to return to the top-100 as soon as possible and get closer to the level that allowed him to reach the quarterfinals at the 2021 US Open and number 31 in the world. He has won two consecutive ATP Challenger Tour titles, in Gwangju and Shenzhen, already positioning himself in 126th place in the ATP rankings.
Alize Cornet announces retirement: Nadal sends her a message
Alize Cornet has officially announced that this Roland Garros 2024 will be her last tournament as a professional tennis player. The Frenchwoman, 34, has had a long and successful career, and several colleagues wanted to send her their best wishes. It was the case of Rafael Nadal, which greatly moved a Cornet who could not believe that her great idol and source of sporting inspiration had bothered to send her that message.
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