'It's great to be back' - 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. The 22-time Grand Slam winner had to battle hard to clinch the first set and conceded the third set before coming from a break down in the fourth to secure his place in the next round and avoid an almighty upset. Ad/> The Spaniard will play Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis next after the world No.

106 knocked out 2017 semi-finalist Sam Querrey in straight sets on Court 5. Wimbledon'Totally opposite' — McEnroe explains Nadal and Djokovic mindset differences5 HOURS AGO “All credit to Fran. I think he started to play well and he was a very tough opponent," Nadal said in his on-court interview afterwards.

«Having not played here for three years [it was difficult], but it’s great to be back. It’s always amazing to play on [Centre] Court. »It’s not a surface we play on often; especially in my case, for different reasons.

The last three years I didn’t [set] foot on a grass court. It’s taken a while; every day is a test, and today was one of th[ose] important tests. Especially considering the physical state I arrived in, the victory allows me to train tomorrow with another match in two days.” “It’s obvious that when you play well at Roland-Garros there isn’t much time between [the two tournaments].