Rafael Nadal likens his body to 'an old machine' at Italian Open

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At 35 and after nearly two decades at or near the top of tennis, Rafael Nadal likens his body to "an old machine."

A machine that was idle for more than a month recently when the 21-time Grand Slam champion was recovering from a rib stress fracture.

After getting injured during a semifinal win over Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells in March, Nadal returned to action at the Madrid Open last week, where he was beaten by the 19-year-old Spaniard in the quarterfinals.

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Spain's Rafael Nadal talks to journalists during a press conference at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Monday, May 9, 2022.  (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Nadal won his opening 20 matches of the year, which included the Australian Open title, but he said at the Italian Open on Monday that his stretch of good form means nothing now.

"My body is like an old machine. To put this machine on again it takes some time," Nadal said. "It’s not the same when you (are) 19 than when you have almost 36, with all the issues that I went through in my tennis career.

"You need to build again the confidence on your body, on your movements, then you going to start feeling again comfortable with your tennis," Nadal added. "It’s more about being confident with my movements, recover the speed, recover the way that I have to play on clay."

Nadal, who turns 36 on June 3, is playing his final warmup in Rome this week before attempting to add to his record total of 13 French Open titles.

The tournament at Roland Garros starts in less than two weeks.

"I need some time, but maybe this week can be a positive week, maybe not. Who knows?" Nadal said.