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"That was not my best match, I was practicing
better than I played today, but I found a way to win," said
Nadal.
The 37-year-old former world number one broke first to make it
3-1 in the opening set, but Bergs bounced back immediately with
a break of his own, and broke again to make it 5-4 before
holding serve to take the set.
Nadal steadied himself and made an impressive start to the
second set, taking a 3-0 lead after an early break and winning
both service games to love, and although Bergs forced break
points in two later games, Nadal held on.
The deciding set brought another early break for Nadal to take a
2-1 lead. Bergs then had four break points when 4-2 down, but
lost his chance to get back into the match and Nadal finished
off the job.
After spending most of last year out with a hip injury, his
return in January was cut short after a muscle tear in Brisbane,
but last month he reached the second round in Barcelona and the
fourth round in Madrid, as he builds up to the French Open.
"My game is more unpredictable than before, I didn't play much
tennis for the last two years so have had some ups and downs, on
and off, but I think I can do much better than today and I hope
to do it next round," Nadal said.
Nadal's second round tie with Hurkacz will be his first match
against the Polish 27-year-old.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Toby Davis) [© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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