Wimbledon 2022 – Rafael Nadal digs deep to see off plucky Francisco Cerundolo after dropping a set

Rafael Nadal needed to dig deep to see off a spirited Francisco Cerundolo and win his first round Wimbledon match 6-4 6-3 3-6 6-3 on Tuesday.

Nadal started understandably slowly given his lack of on-court time following his injury, and whilst he broke Cerundolo in the fourth, his young opponent immediately broke back.

Nevertheless, Nadal started to find his groove, and despite some dogged resistance, Nadal sealed the set with another break.

Things were smoother for Nadal in the second as he broke early, and nearly found a second, as he moved to one set away from victory.

But Cerundolo wasn’t done, and a couple of hugely impressive breaks saw him force a fourth.

The Argentine then sent whispers around SW19 of a potential huge upset as after an epic third game he broke Nadal to move two games clear.

But the Spaniard hit back to break twice and with the second seal his win and progression into the second round where he will face Ricardas Berankis.

More to follow…

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