‘Nadal is bigger than the sport’, says Hubert Hurkacz after beating Spaniard in Rome 2nd round | Tennis News

Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz hailed Rafael Nadal after beating the legendary Spaniard in the Round of 64 at the Italian Open in Rome on Saturday.
Hurkacz served up a clinical performance to rout Nadal in straight sets (6-1, 6-3) as the 22-time Grand Slam champion equalled his worst performance on clay at the ATP level. This was the first time in 21-years that Nadal had only managed to win four games in a loss on clay, the last coming against Gaston Gaudio in Hamburg (2-6, 2-6) in 2003.
Nadal would, however, put the Pole to the test with five break-point opportunities in the latter’s first game but Hurkacz pulled through. Hurkacz, ranked No. 9 in the ATP Rankings and seeded seventh in Rome, sealed his maiden Lexus over Nadal in 93 minutes. It was also his first win at the venue since 2020.

“He is bigger than the sport” 🤝@HubertHurkacz on playing Nadal in Rome#IBI24 pic.twitter.com/vBESTVyrAR
— Tennis TV (@TennV) May 11, 2024
“I’m definitely really proud of myself,” said Hurkacz after the win. “Playing Rafa is something special. It’s just different, especially being on clay, the surface that he has just dominated over the past 20 years. No one will ever have a record like him on this surface.
“He’s just bigger than the sport at the end of the day. So many people follow him and he inspired so many guys, so I’m just really happy to have had that experience today.”
The 37-year-old Nadal bows out from Rome as the record 10-time champion of the tournament with a 70-9 win-loss record. Nadal had brushed aside a three-set challenge from Zizou Bergs on Thursday to set up the Hurkacz meeting.
Nadal’s poorest performances on clay
2-6, 2-6: Olivier Rochus (Mallorca R16 2002)2-6, 2-6: Gaston Gaudio (Hamburg R16 2003)1-6, 3-6: Hubert Hurkacz (Rome R64 2024*)