Rafael Nadal shows class as he claims victory over Zizou Bergs in Rome

Rafael Nadal displayed his characteristic battling spirit on Thursday during the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, defeating tenacious Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 after starting slowly. The Spaniard had only lost one of his past 18 first-round matches in Rome, but after a dismal first set against Bergs, he appeared to be on track to add to that total. 

Nevertheless, the 37-year-old is the only 10-time champion of the Italian city, and he demonstrated why in both second and third sets by increasing consistency, weight of shot, and intensity to win, with the game lasting two hours and 54 minutes.

Rafael Nadal said, "It was not my best match. I was practising better than how I played today without a doubt but I found a way to win. That is so important at the beginning of the tournament. My game is more unpredictable than before. I didn't play much tennis for the past two years, so it is up and down. I think I can do much better than I did today and hope I can do it in the next round."

Nadal is playing in his third tour-level event in a row, having advanced to the fourth round in Madrid. He did not perform at his best in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head match against Bergs, but he was tenacious and determined at crucial times, holding each of the five break points he encountered throughout the second and third sets, as reported by Infosys ATP Stats.

Nadal, who is 7-3 on his current run, walked smoothly around the tennis court and exhibited no signs of physical restrictions in front of a sold-out centre court audience. Even when he fell at 0-1, 15/15 during the final set, he quickly recovered to win the decisive point.

Who will Rafael Nadal face next in the tournament?

The former PIF ATP Rankings No. 1 will face seventh-seeded Hubert Hurkacz during the second round, and if he is to continue, he must compete at a higher level versus the Pole, who has 23 wins and 32 unforced mistakes against Bergs. 

Nadal has the most victories (70) in the Foro Italico, in which he won the championship on debut in 2005. His most recent victory at the clay-court tournament occurred in 2021.