Rafa Nadal returns with skill against Kecmanovic

Rafael Nadal enters the conference room

In tennis, his roar is the soundtrack of spring.

After a prolonged break of 45 days, the champion of 21 majors reappears in Madrid and the Caja Mágica explodes when his name is announced over the loudspeaker.

It has been a month and a half since the reserve, but on his return, the Balearic rallys around like someone who hasn't ridden a bicycle in a while;

the first five pedal strokes cost him, but from then on, he, master of reinsertion, so accustomed to coming back, coming back and coming back, instinctively reincorporates the automatisms and what was presented as a tricky debut, because Miomir Kecmanovic knows how to play, is as an appropriate launch pad towards the round of 16 of the tournament: 6-1 and 7-6(4), in 1h 55m.

Not even two games have elapsed when the Mallorcan already throws long and rehearses.

Nadal is hungry, wanting to beat time and get fine as soon as possible in the direction of Roland Garros, which can be seen on the horizon.

There are three weeks on the calendar;

a lot or a little, depending on how you look at it.

For him, he says, it is a reasonable and sufficient time to restore his body, rehabilitate his game and arrive in Paris in good condition.

In any case, he clarifies, "justillo" arrives in Madrid, which receives him with open arms at a quarter past four in the afternoon.

It's cool, the center fills up as soon as the first break occurs and the occupants of the boxes that previously filled the craw in the

area settle in the ring that stratifies the Caja Mágica.

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"Long live Spainaaaa!", intotones a spectator, followed by the rest of the stands: "Vivaaaaa!".

"Hala Madrid!", It is heard immediately, many attendees pending how Nadal will perform in his return and, out of the corner of his eye, tonight's duel against City at the Bernabéu.

From the outset, football on the sidelines, they find a protagonist more willful than successful.

Logically, the Mallorcan takes a while to calibrate his left-footed shots and doses with the first services, because the body has memory, the cracked rib still has to be protected in Indian Wells (March 19) and there is respect when executing the most aggressive maneuver of all .

Even so, a little bit of Nadal is a lot for Kecmanovic, a 22-year-old Serbian (32nd in the world) who promises a lot, but who comes down with the flu.

Without boasting or having to raise the level, the Spaniard has already procured a

and navigates comfortably through the match.

Despite the accumulated rust, he pilots the duel with authority in the first set and breaks the tender resistance of the Balkan, who shows manners but not fangs, perhaps impressed by the hierarchical silhouette of the Balearic and that intimidating sound that Nadal emits when he attacks the ball.

Whatever the circumstance, and even in

like this one, which is aimed at shooting towards Roland Garros – without the obligatory goal of titles as on other occasions – the combination is scary: he, May and clay.

The Everest of

.

stop due to rain

Until then, the biggest inconvenience has been the moans of three babies who protest in chorus, in an orchestrated way.

Nadal (35 years old) stops a couple of times when serving, but then he steps on the accelerator because he is in a hurry and the half-hour stoppage due to the rain (which forces the retractable cover to close, at 48 minutes) has generated a delay unexpected.

At nine o'clock he plays his Madrid and doesn't want to dilate, so he keeps up the good pace and accelerates, although in the next game Kecmanovic finally finds the tickle and breaks him back.

Under artificial light and the

format (closed area and roof), the one from Belgrade finds a vein and manages to entangle.

The story is different.

They observe it from the background of political personalities,

, athletes.

Iker Casillas comments with the CEO of the tournament, Gerard Tsobanian, while Martínez-Almeida and the director (and still a player), Feliciano López, commiserate in the next seats;

One row above, Rita Maestre and Andrea Levy wonder if the ball has gone to no, and when everything seemed to be going great for Nadal, that the story was going to be resolved without complications or trouble, the pulse tenses.

From

to

, and Kecmanovic clinging to the match with ice ax and crampons.

False alarm, in any case.

The Spanish appeases, redirects and puts the finishing touch with skill.

He will meet this Thursday with David Goffin or Botic van de Zandschulp.

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