Nadal given hero's goodbye after Madrid loss
Rafael Nadal couldn’t overcome Jiri Lehecka in likely his last appearance at his home tournament in Madrid.
Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz needed nearly three hours to defeat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4) and reach the quarterfinals. Nadal, a record five-time champion in Madrid, struggled from the start in a 7-5, 6-4 loss to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka.
Both Spaniards are coming off injuries and are trying to get back in shape ahead of next month’s French Open. The 20-year-old Alcaraz had missed tournaments in Monte Carlo and Barcelona. The 37-year-old Nadal had played two matches in Barcelona after not playing competitively in nearly three months.
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The 22-time Grand Slam champion arrived in Madrid saying he wasn’t fully fit and was worried about his condition, but in the end was celebrating having won three consecutive matches without showing significant physical limitations.
Rafa Nadal is given a guard of honour as he bids farewell to the Madrid Open for perhaps the final time. He won the men's singles title five times but was beaten this evening by Jiri Lehecka in the round of 16.
What a legend. ❤️#BBCTennis pic.twitter.com/ARdO7B2gC7
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 30, 2024
The loss will likely mark Nadal’s final time competing at the tournament he has won a record five times, with 2024 expected to be the final year of his career.
An emotional Nadal remained on court after the match as he received a special presentation, with five banners picturing Nadal’s record five wins as Madrid said goodbye to the champion player.
Nadal even chuckled when when two of the banners got stuck. When all the banners were in place, Nadal grabbed the microphone.
“It has been a very special and positive week in many ways. I have had the opportunity to play again in this game that has given me so much on a sporting and emotional level,” he said.
“A few weeks ago, two days before going to Barcelona, I didn’t know if I could compete in an official match and I was able to play for two weeks. All I can do is say thank you, it has been an incredible journey.
“The first time I arrived competitively in Madrid, in 2005, it was one of the most exciting victories I have had. To this day it has only been unconditional support and affection from everyone. I can only say thank you.”
Nadal had only one break opportunity against the big-serving Lehecka who has won all his three matches in straight sets.
“It’s amazing to share a court with such a legendary player. It’s a dream come true; I always wished for this to happen,” Lehecka said.
“I’m very grateful to achieve such a big moment and all the best to Rafa. It’s kind of bittersweet to have such a nice win in front of all these people who were cheering for him. The energy was amazing.”
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates a point during his match against Jan-Lennard Struff.
The second-seeded Alcaraz was coming off two comfortable victories in Madrid but struggled on Tuesday. He squandered four match points against the 24th-ranked Struff while serving at 5-3 but converted on his first opportunity to seal the victory in the deciding tiebreaker at the Caja Magica centre court.
“I wasn’t at my best physically toward the end of the match, but I’m happy that in the end I found my game,” Alcaraz said. “I fought for every ball and didn’t let down despite some difficult moments when things didn’t go my way.”
Alcaraz is trying to become the first player to win three straight Madrid Open titles. He also needed three sets to beat Struff in last year’s final. The world No.3 will next face seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev at the clay-court tournament.
The 20-year-old Alcaraz had not played in Monte Carlo and Barcelona to try to fully recover ahead of the French Open. He beat Alexander Shevchenko and Thiago Seyboth Wild in straight sets in his first two matches in Madrid.
Top-seeded Jannick Sinner defeated 16th-seeded Karen Khachanov 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the Madrid quarterfinals for the first time. He is the only player to make it to the quarterfinals at all four ATP 1000 events this season.
“I think today was really tough, because at some points he served really well, so it was tough to return,” Sinner said. “I made a couple of mistakes in the first set when he broke me, but this can happen. In the second set I tried to stay focused immediately, I broke him, and the confidence level raised a bit.”