Nadal: The good news is...

Rafael Nadal continues his comeback this week at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, an ATP Masters 1000 event he has won a record 10 times. The Spaniard returned from injury last month in Barcelona before he played in Madrid, advancing to the fourth round.

Nadal lost to Jiri Lehecka in the Spanish capital last Tuesday. The 37-year-old then returned home before he arrived in the Italian capital at the weekend.

“I have been a few days at home, then arrived here on Saturday,” Nadal said in his pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday. “I was able more or less to practice well the past few days. I'm excited to be playing in Rome. It's a tournament that brings me back to a lot of unforgettable memories. My third week almost in a row on the Tour, third tournament in a row. That didn't happen since a super long time ago. That's good news.”

Pleased with his recent progress, Nadal believes patience is key in Rome, where he will start against Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs on Thursday.

“It's something that is not every day the same. Is not a line like this [going up], it's a little bit like this [up and down],” Nadal said. “Even after Barcelona, I had some tough moments in Madrid. Even here the first day. But in a general perspective, the line is going up, without a doubt. I am happy to be today where I am because one month ago for me [it] was almost impossible to think that I would be able to play in Barcelona then in Madrid and now being here in Rome. Things are happening.

“It is true that I was able to accept the challenge, accept that some moments I was not able to push the way that I wanted to push. Doing things the proper way and trying to avoid a lot of risks in terms of pushing a lot on the matches, I was able to keep moving. Madrid was a good test for me playing I think two days in a row, one match over three hours. My feelings are better always. In terms of tennis, too. Why not? I am here to try my best.”

Nadal holds a 69-8 record in the Foro Italico, lifting his first trophy at the ATP Masters 1000 event on debut in 2005. The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings defeated Guillermo Coria in a five-set epic final in 2005, while he clawed past Roger Federer in a deciding set in the 2006 championship match.

Ahead of his potential last appearance in Rome, the 92-time tour-level titlist reflected fondly on both of those matches.

“It is always a great feeling [to] be playing here. The crowd here is very passionate. Amazing matches with Coria, with Roger the first two times I played here,” Nadal said. “Then I was able to achieve that tournament a lot of times. It is a tournament that is part of the history of our sport. It is a very traditional, important tournament in our Tour. I'm excited and feel lucky to be playing here again at this stage of my career. I am motivated for tomorrow and for the tournament.”