Nadal continues its course in Acapulco after knocking down the young Kecmanovic

Rafael Nadal defeated the young Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 6-2, 7-5 and qualified for the quarterfinals of the Mexican Open that takes place in Acapulco. Nadal, second in the ATP ranking, won five games in 24 minutes to get 5-0. It seemed a quiet night, but the young rival, who won no points with his first service, kept the serve in the sixth game and surprised with a break in the seventh before succumbing 6-2.

For the second manga the Serbian better a lot and tucked Nadal who led a 3-3. In the eighth game Rafa won a point with a 'drive' parallel from the bottom of the field and caused a break that Kecmanovic did not let him confirm with his serve to put the score 5-5.

The duel was decided in the twelfth game, when Nadal forced the opponent to play perfect, something impossible against number two in the world that showed to have recovered the form after several weeks without playing.

In the quarterfinals, Nadal will face the Korean Soowoo Kwon, world number 76, who eliminated Serbian Dusan Lajovic 7-6 (2), 6-0.

“I hope this psychosis ceases because of the coronavirus”

Rafa Nadal said that “I hope the remedy is found” to stop the coronavirus epidemic, but not only because it can affect the Tokyo Olympics, but “for humanity.”

“I hope it is controlled, that the remedy is found and this uncertainty is stopped, this psychosis, this fear. It is the most important thing, not only for the Olympic Games, but for humanity,” he said when asked about the situation that has been created around Tokyo 2020 by the coronavirus.

Nadal, that this morning was classified to the quarterfinals of the Mexican Open, said that the Olympic tennis competition is the “hardest to win” tournament, because there are few opportunities to do so and that he advises those who play it to enjoy it maximum, because it is an experience for the rest of life.

The Spanish tennis player also referred, in the press conference after his victory over the Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic (6-2 and 7-5), to the withdrawal of the Russian Maria Sharapova and said that “it is a sad day for tennis”, because “a referent of women's tennis” leaves.

The Russian tennis player announced her retirement through an article in Vogue and Vanity Fair magazines entitled “Tennis, I say goodbye”. “By giving my life to tennis, tennis gave me a life. I miss it every day,” he said.

Nadal expresses his respect for the career of the winner of five Grand Slams. “It's a sad day for tennis, a benchmark for women's tennis goes away, but we all just finished some day. She has been an example of a passion for sports,” said world number two.