Rafael Nadal survived a scare in his Wimbledon debut on Tuesday, coming back from losing the third set and being down a break in the fourth to beat Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina.
Second seed Nadal defeated 41st-ranked Cerundolo, who was playing in his maiden All England Club match, 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Nadal was playing on grass for the first time since his 2019 Wimbledon semifinal defeat to Roger Federer. To go halfway to the first men’s calendar Slam since 1969, the 36-year-old Spaniard had to work hard.
He had previously won the Australian and French Opens this year. He breezed through the first two sets on Centre Court, but gave up a break early in the third set and had to work his way back. overcoming deficits of 3-1 and 4-2 in the fourth. Three years without being on this incredible court, Nadal stated, “It feels great to be back.” “Especially in my case, we don’t play on grass very frequently. In the last three years, I didn’t put a foot on the grass.”
