With the rallying cry of “keep going, keep exploring,” Rafael Nadal gears up to conquer Rome. The Spaniard’s unstoppable form at the Madrid Open‘s fourth round suggests that his clay-court skill is rapidly nearing its pinnacle. Even American legends are in awe of his re-surging form, though, because of his extraordinary dedication and steadfast resolve.

Andy Roddick and Tracy Austin, two popular American tennis players, recently shared their opinions on watching the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s amazing growth from Madrid now that he is ready for the Italian Open. In a recent conversation on his podcast show, the 41-year-old former tennis player talked about his expectations from Rafa while praising him.

He stated, “I think he’s the master of under promising and over delivering. During his form, we’ve talked about it in this show before, he will be going like first round of the Roland Garros like seventeen in a row. And I think he just works from a place of this could go wrong but I’m gonna hustle my way and make it and give my best effect.”

Furthermore, Roddick emphasized the unexpected turn of events that made the Spaniard an underdog after his Madrid success. On the other hand, the 61-year-old former WTA player conveyed her respect for Rafael Nadal’s tenacity and will on the tennis court, highlighting her wish to see the 37-year-old tennis legend persist and succeed in his pursuits.

Austin said, “Let’s just enjoy Rafa right now, I think we have to be so please, this guy is like a car that has 200k 300k miles on it, just hoping he keeps hanging in there, that’s what we want to see. The more time we see him out on the court, and enjoy this the better.” 

In addition, the former world number one Spaniard is getting ready to take on a new opponent in his first match at the Italian Open as he goes up against Zizou Bergs. However, following the way  Madrid went, not only his fans but even a lot of other tennis players have a lot of expectations from him, as the French Open is about to begin in just a few weeks. Subsequently, even the Spanish legend himself is quite impressed with the way things are happening around him.

Rafael Nadal shares his happy feelings with the Italian Open 

During the clay-court swing, he has triumphantly returned to the tennis scene, competing in events held in Barcelona and Madrid. He is currently preparing to participate in his third event in a row in Rome, showcasing his health and preparedness to succeed on clay courts once more.

He stated, “That hasn’t happened since a very long time ago. That’s good news. I need to keep going. I need to keep exploring how I’ll be able to manage to play every day. But yeah, I’m happy the way that I feel today.” However, the 22-time Grand Slam champion was open about facing challenges in his most recent competitions and about struggling during his first training session in Rome prior to Thursday’s match against Zizou Bergs.

Moreover, what are your thoughts on Nadal’s participation in the Italian Open? Do let us know in the comment section below.