Nadal: "In the end, nobody was in control".

Even at the age of 38, Rafael Nadal remains an outstanding fighter.

Having already won everything, the Spaniard battled for 3hrs 59mins to finally dispose of a brilliant Mariano Navone (6-7, 7-5, 7-5).

After two solid matches, Nadal is now enjoying the physical battle par excellence on his return to competition.

And this time, he held his own. Not without difficulty, but he held his own.

Interviewed after this huge battle, 'Rafa' declared: "There were a lot of ups and downs in the match. For a while, he was in control of the match, then I was. And in the end, nobody was in control (laughs).

And that's the truth. I was very close to losing the match in the second set, but Navone is a great fighter and I wish him all the best for the rest of the season. I couldn't stay focused for the whole match, but somehow I held on physically until the end and that's the most important thing for me.

Let's see how I feel and how I wake up tomorrow, but for today, I'm alive!"