Rafael Nadal is safely through to the second round of Wimbledon after a 4-set battle against unseeded Francisco Cerundolo. The Spaniard is on a 15-match win streak at Grand Slams this year and continues to move closer to another Wimbledon title.

Despite dominating in the first two sets, Cerundolo hit back to force a fourth set. After nearly two breaks of serve, Nadal produced some magical tennis to win 5 of the last 6 games and close out the match. The World No. 4 played his first game on Centre Court after an absence of three years.

Nadal elated after a hard-fought victory at Wimbledon

Nadal was sailing through before his opponent hit back to make the match interesting. After his win, the 2-time Wimbledon champion spoke about his return to the All-England Club after a lengthy absence. He said, “When you play well in Roland-Garros there is not much time between, I used to remember this, all the beautiful days I was playing the final at Roland-Garros and then the next day practising at Queen’s.”

“The last three years I didn’t put a foot on a grass court so it takes a while! This was my first match. Every day is a test, today was an important test…the victory is the most important thing.” he added.

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Nadal will now face Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis in the second round match on Thursday. Berankis beat American Sam Querrey 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in their opening encounter.

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Will Rafael Nadal have an easy path to the final?

Nadal’s first win at the All-England Club since 2019 puts him one step closer to a winning a remarkable 23rd Grand Slam title. However, his draw has seemingly cleared out with major names absent, as 2017 Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic has withdrawn from the tournament due to COVID-19.

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Moreover, champion at Queens’ and Stuttgart Matteo Berretini will also be missing this year’s after contracting the virus ahead of his opening match. With two big names missing and grass specialist Hubert Hurkacz knocked out, Nadal will have a high chance of reaching his fourth Wimbledon final.