Fatigued Nadal Struggles in Italian Open Opener, Shows Resilience on Clay

Rafael Nadal, a 37-year-old tennis player nearing retirement, struggled in the opening round of the Italian Open against Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs. Nadal appeared fatigued and played below par, committing an excessive number of unforced errors and failing to generate sufficient pace from his groundstrokes. Consequently, Nadal dropped the initial set but subsequently recovered, displaying his trademark form on clay courts. Nadal, who has won the French Open a remarkable 14 times, is utilizing the Italian Open as his last significant tournament prior to the French Open, which begins on May 26. Interestingly, Nadal has never lost successive matches on clay terrain throughout his entire career. In other matches, Serbian qualifier Hamad Medjedovic, Thiago Seboth Wild, and Dominik Koepfer advanced. Former world number one Angelique Kerber also progressed following her triumph over 17th-seeded Veronika Kudermetova. The top players such as Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, and Carlos Alcaraz have withdrawn due to injuries.