Nadal’s day at Wimbledon wasn’t flawless, yet he carved out a win in a tough third-round matchup against Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania. The set scores tell part of the story: 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, and 6-3. The victory keeps the Balearic ace on track for another deep run in the tournament he previously claimed in 2008 and 2010, extending his run to a remarkable 11 appearances in the third round at Wimbledon. The win adds a landmark total to Nadal’s Grand Slam tally, a milestone that has seen him accumulate over three hundred career wins in major events, a figure he had briefly touched in exchanges with opponents as storied as Martina Navratilova in eras past. The crowd saw a match that was more about grit and persistence than a flawless display, a reminder that even the sport’s greatest sometimes have to grind through moments of discomfort on the grass court motorcycle of pressure and expectation.
Nadal appeared unsettled from the outset, despite possessing the skill to seize opportunities when they appeared. Berankis fed on the energy of a packed arena, feeling the moment and pressing Nadal in rallies that tested the Spaniard’s focus. Nadal needed to salvage a critical moment at 2-3 to avert a potentially dangerous slide, and he did so by converting a decisive break point. Once that hurdle was cleared, Nadal found a groove and closed out the first set in roughly 43 minutes, though the stat sheet betrayed a batch of risky mistakes that marked a rare off-night for the veteran. The sequence set the tone for a match that would demand every ounce of Nadal’s experience and composure.
In the second set, Berankis flipped the script to take a lead after a brief timeout, and his aggressive play began to tilt the balance of momentum. The Lithuanian’s ball–striking grew sharper, and his willingness to attack Nadal’s serve paid dividends as he moved ahead on the scoreboard. Nadal, meanwhile, remained short of his best form and could not sustain a prolonged period of authority. Berankis, ranked outside the world’s top 100, was making his first competitive appearance on grass this year, and the unfamiliar surface appeared to sharpen his competitive edge as the match progressed. Nadal’s challenge was simply to weather the storm and find a path back to stability in the later stages.
Important moments
The match pivoted in the late stages of the third set when Nadal found a critical balance at 3-3 by regaining serve with a timely break. This shift ignited a reset, allowing Nadal to steady his rhythm and force a fresh sequence of possessions after a second timeout that helped him recalibrate his approach. Berankis fought hard to protect his advantage, but Nadal’s resilience began to tilt the scales again as the Lithuanian’s errors grew under pressure.
With the momentum moving in Nadal’s favor, the narrative of the third set remained tight, echoing patterns seen in other high-stakes encounters where a lead can vanish in a heartbeat. Berankis, who had endured a challenging season and was playing his first grass-court match of the year, found it difficult to sustain the upper hand. Nadal’s discipline and strategic choices kept him within reach of a strong finish, and the crowd sensed a turning point as the match entered its final stage.
When the fourth set began, Nadal rose to the occasion with a strong start, taking a 3-0 lead while a brief pause due to rain forced the roof to close over the centre court. The delay disrupted the tempo, yet Nadal managed to maintain a clear edge as the action resumed. In a match where the server produced 13 aces and the error count was substantial on Nadal’s side, the Spaniard’s ability to endure stretches of inconsistency and finish with authority became the defining takeaways. The outcome marked Nadal’s persistence translating into a satisfactory victory and another step forward in his Wimbledon campaign as he continued to chase a deep run in 2025.
Sonego, the next opponent
Nadal’s third-round path will lead him to a clash with Lorenzo Sonego of Italy, currently ranked 54 in the world. Sonego earned a straight-forward win over the Frenchman Hugo Gaston, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-4, to book the next round. The matchup promises a test of Nadal’s adjustment on grass at this stage of his career, especially after a three-year gap from Wimbledon action. The previous encounter with a formidable foe such as a late-career rival underscores the evolving narrative of Nadal’s journey at Wimbledon, a tournament where he once surged to a surprising semifinal run against stalwarts of the game.