By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, April 29, 2024 Few champions have mined the facility of predictability as successfully as Rafael Nadal.

From his ritualistic run again to the baseline after the coin toss, to his exact placement of his bottle like a chess grasp inserting a pawn in place to the flurry of forehands crosscourt that may sweep even skilled opponents proper off the courtroom, the 14-time Roland Garros champion is the last word high-percentage participant.

Rafa Nadal: Not Fully Fit For Madrid, Will Do Everything to Play Paris

These days, the king of clay is feeling a bit like a mercurial monarch.

The 36-year-old Spanish celebrity says there's one key completely different to his recreation: he is extra unpredictable.

"I am more unpredictable than what I used to be," Nadal advised the media in Madrid after his three-set win over Pedro Cachin. "I used to be not very unpredictable player. I used to be more or less predictable player because I have been very regular in terms of emotionally talking and in terms of level talking of tennis.

"Building each day a bit bit higher however roughly secure, no? There is distinction. I'm extra unpredictable for the opponents however particularly for myself."

The five-time Madrid champion scored his third consecutive victory at the Mutua Madrid Open today. It's the first time Nadal has won three matches in a row since the 2022 US Open.

Now, Nadal will aim to summon some chaos against 30th-seeded Jiri Lehecka, who beat the 22-time Grand Slam champion in practice last week.

"I hope [my level is higher], as a result of I misplaced," Nadal said of Lehecka. "But I do not know. Let's see. I can't predict what is going on on tomorrow, what can occur tomorrow, what degree I gonna present tomorrow."

Photo credit score: Matteo Villalba/Getty

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