“I have to lose this fear of getting injured. After this time transition, I have to push and test myself. If I break, I break. Tough luck. That’s the objective of this week.”
His next obstacle in Rome is very tough. Perhaps not to test his long-term conditioning, as the points against Hubert Hurkacz tend to be shorter, but in explosion. The Pole, current number 9 in the world, has a beautiful serve, goes up to the net a lot and attacks first whenever he can. It will be another tough test that, for better or worse, will be decisive for Rafa’s decision to go to Roland Garros or not.
Things I think I think:
– If you didn’t understand the reason behind the first sentences of this post, click here to see this memorable excerpt from a Rafa Nadal press conference in 2019
– Thiago Monteiro has another beautiful tournament in Rome and now has eight wins in his last nine games. Once again, he reaches the third round of a Masters 1000 with a key of 96 – something he has never achieved in his career. The return to the top 100 is guaranteed, and any additional point now (whether against Ruud or Kecmanovic in the next phase) is worth a lot for the Ceará native to fight for a place in the Olympic Games without having to depend on the campaigns of Argentine Facundo Díaz Acosta, the champion Pan-American.
