Rafael Nadal has not lost a single match at the Grand Slams this season. This Thursday he added his victory No. 16 in the tournaments of this category, after beating Ricardas Berankis 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in three hours and two minutes.
Since his debut on January 17 at the Australian Open against Marcos Giron, the Spaniard has linked seven wins to win the title in Melbourne. He did the same recently at Roland Garros, where he won his fourteenth Musketeers Cup in Paris and his 22nd Grand Slam. And at Wimbledon he has successfully saved the first two rounds.
The win is also the 307th Grand Slam victory for the reigning No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin (the ranking that exclusively measures what has happened in 2022). This means that Nadal surpasses Martina Navratilova in the all-time list of players with the most match wins.
Most Grand Slam wins
1. Roger Federer – 369
2. Serena Williams – 365
3. Novak Djokovic – 330
4. Rafael Nadal – 307
5. Martina Navratilova – 306
In his debut against Francisco Cerúndolo, the Argentine was able to snatch a set from him and the Lithuanian copied the same script before Nadal sealed his spot in the third round at Wimbledon for the 11th time in his career.
And it was not an easy game for the man from Manacorí. In the opening set he had to face a break point against in the fifth game, which he successfully saved. It would be Nadal himself, who would convert in his third chance the break that was final in the tenth game to go ahead 6-4.
In the second set the stage became grayer for the Spaniard. In the third game Nadal delivered his first break, which served to make Berankis 1-3 in his favor. However, he recovered with three games in a row that allowed him to recover the distance (4-3). The outcome was identical to the initial sleeve: a new break in the tenth game decided it on his side.
The Lithuanian’s insistence was rewarded in the third set. He opened with a break that he knew how to keep until the end, despite the fact that the Spaniard had an option to recover it in the fifth game. Berankis won the set 4-6 and demanded an extra effort from the two-time Wimbledon champion in 2008 and 2010.
At 2 hours and 40 minutes into the match with 3-0 in favor of the Spaniard, the match was stopped due to rain for almost another hour until the roof of Center Court was covered for its resumption. Nadal kept the advantage and sentenced with his service, in a match in which he broke his rival’s serve in 4 of the 16 opportunities he had, and accompanied with 34 winners and 39 unforced errors.
On the next step, he will face Lorenzo Sonego, who settled his second-round match against Frenchman Hugo Gaston 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 30 minutes.
This Saturday will be the first time that Nadal faces the 27-year-old Italian.
Did you know…?
Rafael Nadal played his match No. 35 of the season on Thursday, in which he has a record of 32-3. He also tallied 1,060 career wins for him in the 1,272 games he has played throughout his career.
–
