(Los Angeles) Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal, who is trying to return to the highest level after several injuries, felt “much better than expected” on Sunday during an exhibition match against his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz.
The two players faced each other at the Mandalay Bay Resort, a hotel-casino in Las Vegas, for a friendly match broadcast live on the Netflix platform, three days before the start of the Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells.
“The level of tennis is one thing, the ghost of injuries is another,” said Nadal during the match, won by Alcaraz (3-6, 6-4, 14-12).
“During the first set I played at a good level, even though it had been a long time since I had played […] I felt much better than I expected,” said the 37-year-old winner of 22 Grand Slam titles.
After missing almost the entire 2023 season, Nadal hopes to return to the highest level. He played in Brisbane in January before having to withdraw from the Australian Open due to a muscle injury.