Alex de Minaur has missed the chance of a lifetime to beat Rafael Nadal on clay in successive tournaments, impressed by the rejuvenated and emotionally charged Spanish great at the Madrid Open.
The Australian number one, who looked like a shadow of the player who defeated Nadal at the Barcelona Open in straight sets 10 days earlier, seemed tense and a little distracted by the passionate support received by the local favorite at the Caja Magica on Saturday. he succumbed 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 in their second round match.
But for Nadal, 37, encouraged by Spanish King Felipe VI and football royalty in Zinedine Zidane, there were moments from his prime when he defeated spectacular winners against the Sydneysider fleet in a two-hour demonstration that no one You may superficially dismiss it because you adore it.
In just his fourth competitive match since Nadal was last out for three months due to injury, de Minaur was the big favorite to repeat his victory in Barcelona, make it three straight wins against the Spanish legend and become the first man to eliminate him from consecutive championships. tournaments since Roger Federer achieved the rare feat in 2017.
But in what has been billed as a farewell to Madrid, the match felt much more like an awakening as Nadal changed tactics, peppering De Minaur with many spinning and high looping shots that ensured the Australian world number 11, uncomfortable looking, couldn’t score. at any pace.
Increasingly frustrated and evidently feeling like a sacrifice in the bustling bullring that was the Manolo Santana Stadium, de Miñaur committed 33 unforced errors.
But the victory left Nadal beaming after all his recent gloomy comments about his fitness.
When asked if it was a sign that he was close to returning to his best level, he simply smiled: “No, not yet, no, I need time.
“At times, with a good level of tennis, I was able to do positive things, but I’m still at the top. I’m super happy now to be able to be competitive against a great player like Alex for more than two hours. It means a lot to me.”
But he didn’t want to make bold predictions so soon after his return.
“I don’t know, I really think tennis hasn’t been a problem in the last two years, more physical problems.
“If I can play weeks in a row and play tennis, I’ll see how far I can go and how competitive I can be. But step by step, we’ll see how I really recover.”
The key to victory came in the first set tie-break, when De Minaur saved four set points and looked set to ruin the fairy tale, only for Nadal to conjure up an incredible backhand crosscourt winner to earn a fifth set point. , which he took advantage of. after a 76 minute battle.
From there, he earned a quick break in the second set and De Minaur looked exhausted when he double-faulted to gift Nadal victory on match point, the Spaniard’s first victory over a top-20 player since 2022.
AAP
