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WATCH | Italian Open: Nadal's gesture wins hearts as opponent Nicolas Almagro retires after injury

Nadal, who is the clear tournament favourite and looks to be in the form of his life on clay this season, raced into a 3-0 lead before Spanish compatriot Almagro felt his left knee with less than half an hour played.

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WATCH | Italian Open: Nadal's gesture wins hearts as opponent Nicolas Almagro retires after injury
Spain's Rafael Nadal looks out for his compatriot and opponent Nicolas Almagro after the latter sustained an injury during their Italian Open match on Wednesday (Twitter screengrab @TennisTV)
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Rafael Nadal eased into the last-16 of the Italian Open on Tuesday when his second-round opponent Nicolas Almagro retired after sustaining a knee injury early in the first set. Nadal, who is the clear tournament favourite and looks to be in the form of his life on clay this season, raced into a 3-0 lead before Spanish compatriot Almagro felt his left knee with less than half an hour played.

Here's Nadal looking out for his compatriot Almagro:

Nadal is seeded fourth in Rome, where he is bidding for a record eighth title to go with his recent successes in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, and will meet either the Czech Republic's Jiri Vesely or American Jack Sock in the next round.

Japan's Kei Nishikori, the number seven seed, beat Spaniard David Ferrer 7-5 6-2 earlier in the day and will play either Britain's Kyle Edmund or Argentine Juan Martin del Potro in the last 16.

Third seed Stan Wawrinka was also in action later on Tuesday against unpredictable Frenchman Benoit Paire, who beat him on clay in Madrid last week.

(Inputs from Reuters)

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