Nadal overcomes third set wobble to reach second round

Thursday, 30 June 2022 01:25 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

LONDON (Reuters): Rafael Nadal made a stuttering but rousing return to the grass on Tuesday, beating 41st-ranked Argentine Francisco Cerundolo 6-4 6-3 3-6 6-4 in Wimbledon’s first round to begin his campaign for a third Grand Slam title of the year.

The 36-year-old second seed, who has not played at Wimbledon since 2019 and stayed away from warm-up tournaments with a chronic foot problem, looked to be motoring through the match until a series of unforced errors allowed Cerundolo back in.

“It is not a surface that we play very often, especially in my case in the last three years I didn’t put any foot on the grass,” Nadal told the Centre Court crowd. “Every day is a test and I am at the beginning of the tournament and the difficult circumstances (under which) I arrived here.”