Nadal hopes to fire up his 'old machine' in Rome ahead of 14th French Open title bid

At 35, Spanish ace Rafael Nadal has endured nearly two decades of top-quality tennis. The 21-time Grand Slam winner, who suffered a defeat to compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in Madrid, is now in Rome for the Italian Open and will hope to play himself back into form ahead of his quest to clinch a record-extending 14th title at the French Open.

Also read: French Open 2022: Alcaraz a firm favourite, admits defending champion Djokovic

Nadal's return to action after suffering a rib injury in March's Indian Wells saw him lose to the 19-year-old Alcaraz in the Madrid Open quarter-finals. However, the loss was something that the 'King of Clay' expected as he was aware that his 'old machine' i.e. his body would take some time to fire up.

In a bid to build momentum before launching his campaign for a 14th title at Roland Garros, Nadal has said he needed time to get his body up to speed. "When you're six weeks without touching a racquet and having the chance to move your body ... my body is like an old machine. To put this machine on again it takes some time," the Spaniard, who has endured a string of injuries during his two-decade-long career, told reporters before the Italian Open.

WATCH: Nadal's training session in Rome

"It's not the same when you're 19 than when you are almost 36, with all the issues I went through in my career. You need to build again the confidence, and your movements, and then you start feeling comfortable with your tennis. It's more about being confident with my movements, recover the speed, recover the way that I have to play on clay and let's see. I'm confident that I can play well. I need time, but maybe this week can be a positive week, maybe not. Who knows?" Nadal added.

In last year's French Open, Nadal lost to World No.1 Novak Djokovic, which was just the third time he faced defeat at the clay-court Grand Slam since his debut in 2005. The Spaniard said he was doing all he can to be fully ready for the tournament, which starts on May 22.

"That's my goal ... I didn't have another chance to approach this claycourt season with the things I went through. I'm going to give myself a chance and we'll see what's going on," Nadal concluded.