And suddenly, after a match of more than three hours, Rafael Nadal receives an unusual question: “I don’t know what the protocol says…”

Rafael Nadal (ATP 512) qualified on Monday for the eighth finals of the ATP Masters 1,000 tournament in Madrid (clay/7,877,020 euros). After the marathon match, the Spanish veteran received a separate question from his opponent.

The 37-year-old Spaniard defeated the Argentinian Pedro Cachin (ATP 91) in his third round after an intense duel. The score was 6-1, 6-7 (5/7) and 6-3 after a game of three hours and six minutes of tennis. It is Nadal’s third win in a row in Madrid.

Remarkable: During the handshake at the net, Cachin asked if he could have a shirt of the Spanish tennis icon. “I don’t know what the protocol says, but…,” the Argentinian laughed. “It’s a dream come true for me.” And no sooner asked, no sooner done: Nadal gave a clean shirt to his opponent, who later proudly posted it on Instagram.

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In the last sixteen, Nadal will face the Czech Jiri Lehecka (ATP 31). In his third round, he defeated the Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro (ATP 118) in two sets (6-4 and 7-6 (9/7)). A confrontation with third seed Daniil Medvedev (ATP 4) may await in the quarter-finals. Earlier in the day, the Russian defeated the American Sebastian Korda (ATP 26) in his third round in three sets (5-7, 7-6 (7/4) and 6-3).

After a lot of injuries, Nadal has dropped to 512th place in the ATP rankings. The 22-time Grand Slam winner will participate in Madrid with a protected status. It is only his third tournament this year after Brisbane (in January) and Barcelona (two weeks ago). With five victories (between 2005 and 2017), Nadal is the record holder on clay in Madrid. He is preparing in the Spanish capital for Roland Garros, the Grand Slam tournament in Paris that he has won no fewer than fourteen times.