Nadal likens his body to ‘an old machine’ at Italian Open

By ANDREW DAMPF
AP Sports Writer

ROME (AP) — Rafael Nadal likens his body to “an old machine” at the age of 35 and after nearly two decades at or near the top of tennis. A machine that was idle for more than a month recently when the 21-time Grand Slam champion was recovering from a rib stress fracture. Nadal returned to action at the Madrid Open last week and was beaten by 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. Nadal’s opening opponent at the Italian Open will be either big-serving American John Isner or Argentine qualifier Francisco Cerundolo.