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  • Jiri Lehecka ends Rafael Nadal's spirited run in Madrid

    Jiri Lehecka ended Rafael Nadal's emotional and inspirational 20th appearance at the Mutua Madrid Open with a straight-sets victory Tuesday night under a closed roof on the Caja Magica.

  • Rafael Nadal vs. Jiri Lehecka, Mutua Madrid Open

    On Tuesday, April 30, Rafael Nadal’s comeback tour continues with a match against Jiri Lehecka in the Mutua Madrid Open. Nadal is coming off a 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3 win over Pedro Cachin in his last match—a 3:06 battle. It was nice to see Nadal, whose 2024 season has been shaped by health concerns, find a way through a long, physical match. However, it is a little concerning that Nadal needed to dig that deep in order to get by a player of Cachin’s caliber. And that makes it hard to believe in him...

  • Rafael Nadal bids emotional farewell to Madrid Open after loss to Jiri Lehecka

    Five-times winner is honoured by event after 7-5, 6-4 defeatWorld No 1 Iga Swiatek to face Madison Keys in semi-finalsRafael Nadal’s rousing, dramatic last stand on home soil came to an end just after midnight in the early hours of Wednesday morning as he was outhit and outplayed by Jiri Lehecka, a talented young Czech, who seized one of the biggest moments of his career so far by ­toppling the Spaniard 7-5, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open.The defeat will likely mark Nadal’s...