Yesterday afternoon, Nadal's competitive spirit guided him to a narrow 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Zizou Bergs, a Belgian qualifier, in the first round of the Italian Open. He now faces a significant test against Hubert Hurkacz, the seventh seed, in round two.
"[Now] arrive[s] the moment that I need to try, I need to go for everything," the Spaniard said. "If something happens, something happens. That's the truth. It's not like in Madrid, it's not like in Barcelona, especially that I need to analyse how things are improving, to explore if I am able to adapt all these things to the new weeks.
"But that's over and we are in Rome. I have Roland Garros in just two weeks and a half, so ... arrive a moment that I need to prove myself if I am able to push my body to the limit that I need to push to feel myself ready for what's coming."
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