8th February, 2013
Rafael Nadal’s knee held up for a third straight day, and if he keeps winning it will be getting double the workout over the weekend.
The Spaniard teamed with Juan Monaco to reach the doubles semifinals at the VTR Open in Chile with a 6-2, 7-6 (4) victory over Guillaume Ruffin and Filippo Volandri yesterday, his third match in three days after being away from the game for seven months with an ailing left knee and a stomach virus.
Nadal will play fellow Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver in the singles quarterfinals today, and then faces the prospect of playing two matches a day over the weekend. Although that’s exactly the type of test he’d been looking for as he tries to get his body back up to the level where he can challenge the likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray again.
Nadal and Monaco addressed the crowd on the court after winning, but after giving four news conferences since arriving in Chile, the Spaniard didn’t offer one yesterday.
“I’m very happy to play again and enjoy things here in Chile,” Nadal said. “It’s a real pleasure playing with a friend.”
Standing alongside, Monaco added: “I’m happy to be able to help at his side.”