Rafa Nadal fell to Hubert Hurkacz in the training match played at the Rod Laver Arena as a prelude to the Australian Open. Both tennis players took the match as if it were an official one. The Pole took the victory by 7-6 (4) and 7-5.
The clash falls within the training matches, open to the public, which has launched the Australian Open. It lasts 75 minutes with at least one set at stake and the presence of a chair umpire and ball boy.
Hurkacz will debut in this edition of the first grand slam of the season against the Spanish Pedro Martínez. For his part, Nadal will face the British Jack Draper, number 40 in the ATP ranking At 21, left-handed and with a powerful serve. There is no precedent between the two. It will be the first time the Spaniard has faced a Top 40 in a debut at Melbourne Park. This circumstance has not occurred in a grand slam since the 2015 US Open when she beat Borna Coric, then 33rd in the world rankings.
