However, his victory over Alex de Minaur in the second round raised eyebrows, particularly considering his loss to the Australian just a week prior at the Barcelona Open. Nadal then faced a tough challenge in his first three-setter of the tournament but managed to overcome Pedro Cachin to advance to the fourth round.

Despite being a five-time champion at the event, Nadal kept his goals relatively low-key, downplaying expectations and ambitions leading up to the tournament.

Facing the 30th-seeded Lehecka, who had previously defeated him in a recent clay-court practice set, posed a significant challenge for the 22-time major winner, evident from the early stages of their match.

Nadal had an opportunity to secure a crucial break point in the first set, which would have given him a 5-3 lead. However, failing to capitalize on this chance allowed Lehecka to showcase his formidable skills.

Lehecka capitalized on Nadal’s missed opportunity, winning 12 consecutive points from 4-5 to 40-40, ultimately claiming the first set 7-5. He then carried this momentum into the second set, securing an early break to further assert his dominance.