Angel Rigueira
El Mundo
March 4, 2025

Espanol Version

In the first doubles match since the Davis Cup, they beat the doubles specialists Knowles-Nestor.

Rafa Nadal and Tommy Robredo won their doubles match yesterday in what was their first match since their loss to Novak-Stepanek in their Davis Cup debut. They came back with force, and in this way the win was important, as they beat one of the best pairs in the world Mark Knowles, of the Bahama's, and the Canadian Daniel Nestor 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1.

Earlier, the majorcan had his work cut out in singles, beating Belgian Olivier Rochus, reaching the quarterfinals against Russian Mikhail Youzhny. Tommy Robredo will play quarterfinals today against Roger Federer.

Nadal fought an uphill battle against Rochus, as he was trailing 1-3 in the first set, then strung five games together too win, then in the second set he trailed 1-4, equaled to 4-4 and then finished it, shockingly, with 7-5.

This did not diminish his act later on in the doubles, the pair called to form the Spanish team with Moya and Ferrero in the Davis Cup quarterfinals when they receive Holland in Majorca next month.

The Majorcan and the Catalan won their seventh match of the season, in a record that includes their title in Chennai. They left the best doubles pair of 2002 standing at the side of the road, the players that between them have 62 professional doubles titles. Together, Knowles and Nestor won the Aus Open 2002. Also, they were in two other finals, same number in Roland Garros and one in Wimbledon and US Open.

The Spaniards' next rivals will be the Germans Kohlmann and Schuettler.

[Ed note: They won the match against Kohlmann and Schuettler, 7-6, 7-5, reaching the semis, where they lost to doubles specialists Jonas Bjorkman and Leander Paes.]