Rafael Nadal, who returned to compete on Tuesday after more than three months of absence, fell to Australian Alex De Miñaur 7-5, 6-1 in the 2nd round.
Reuters
The hopes of Rafael Nadal to win the ATP 500 de Barcelona (€ 2,782,960, brick dust) for the thirteenth time they faded with the defeat in the second round by 7-5 and 6-1 against the Australian Alex de MiñaurNo. 11 in the world ranking.
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The Spaniard, current 664th in the world and former No. 1, was playing his first tournament since January and had returned on Tuesday with a victory in his debut against the Italian Flavio Cobollibut the 37-year-old was no match for Alex De Miñaur. The Australian started brightly, breaking his opponent’s serve in the first game, but Nadal broke it again to lead 3-3 before his opponent achieved the decisive break and held his serve to take the lead. the first set.
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Then he didn’t have much trouble winning the second set. “I think the only thing I have better than Rafa on clay is his physique at this point in his career,” he said. Alex De Miñaur after the victory. “I decided to try to make the rallies long and physical, use my speed to my advantage. It’s never easy against him.”
Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal’s next season
Rafael Nadal22-time Grand Slam tournament champion, only managed to win two points on serve. Alex De Miñaur in the second set. After being defeated on the court that bears his name, the Spaniard was applauded as he said goodbye. He returned from almost a year away following hip surgery to reach the quarter-finals in Brisbane in January but was forced into a further lay-off after suffering a strain.
“Losing the first set, I couldn’t fight for the match and it was over. I play with what I have and there are moments that don’t matter. Today, I can’t allow myself to play a three-hour match,” he said. Rafael Nadal at a press conference. The Spaniard’s goal is to arrive in top shape at Roland Garroswhere he is the absolute king: he was consecrated 14 times.
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“It wasn’t today that I had to leave everything and die, in Paris whatever God wants. There I hope to be competitive and there is the time,” he highlighted. Rafael Nadal. “I have had the opportunity to say goodbye to Godó while playing. A week ago I thought I would not be able to play here again (…) The important thing was to be able to play and I have played. Being on the court is great news,” he added.
2024-04-18 00:20:00
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