Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal's victory at the 2022 Australian Open was underpinned by his willingness to make well-timed net approaches, an Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers ...

Net Points That theory gains legs when you see that Nadal only won 54 per cent (19/35) of points when the point started for him with a first serve return. Nadal came to the net 167 times in seven matches at Melbourne Park last year, with an eye-opening 50 per cent of them (84) occurring when Nadal started the point with a first serve.

Rafael Nadal is known for his idiosyncrasies and rituals before and during tennis matches so when a ballboy accidentally removed his playing racket from ...

[Australian Open](https://www.tennis365.com/category/australian-open/) [Tennis News](https://www.tennis365.com/category/tennis-news/) I’m here to just give myself a chance. “It’s a big challenge for me at the beginning to start the tournament. The racket didn’t make an appearance in time for the next game as Nadal had to use a different one and he went on to win the opening set 7-5. Channel Nine commentator John Fitzgerald joked “goodness me, that’s a big mistake and he knows.

22-time Grand Slam winner Nadal turns 37 in June and he is the first to admit that he does not know how many years he has left at the top of tennis, but that ...

[Australian Open](https://www.tennis365.com/category/australian-open/) And he doesn’t want to be, you know, 10 in the world or 20. Next year? [Tennis News](https://www.tennis365.com/category/tennis-news/) Will it be this year? Because I don’t know almost anyone that does’. I used to look at, well, he’s like Jimmy Connors. It would be tough to write Rafa off at any point, given that he did so well last year. So I continue to be amazed by him,” he told Eurosport. I didn’t expect him to do that last year. “I have a very good relationship with Zverev, but not enough to confess something like that to him. “Unfortunately, I think Rafa will retire at Roland Garros.

Nadal with a total of 22 grand slam titles to his name is currently the leader while Djokovic is at the second position with 21 titles.

Defending Champions Nadal has been seeded No.1 in men's singles of the Australian Open 2023 and he will take on Britain's Jack Draper on Monday. Both players are nearing the twilight of their careers with their ages running out. The two are looking to add on to the tally of their grand slam titles to become the highest ever winner in history. In fact, World No.13 Alexander Zverev even made a prediction about the same and had said that the Spaniard would announce his retirement after French Open 2023. As the Australian Open gets underway, speculations were made that 36-year-old Nadal might hang his racquet this year. [Rafael Nadal](https://www.hindustantimes.com/topic/rafael-nadal) and Serbia's [Novak Djokovic ](https://www.hindustantimes.com/topic/novak-djokovic)remain.

Nadal, the 22-time grand slam champion, bristled at a retirement question earlier when it was posed after he had lost a match at the United Cup. WATCH THE VIDEO ...

And he doesn’t want to be, you know, 10 in the world or 20. “Every time that I am coming to a press conference seems like I have to retire. Because I don’t know almost anyone that does’. I used to look at, well, he’s like Jimmy Connors. “Unfortunately, I think Rafa will retire at Roland Garros. I mean, that, for the moment, is not the case.

Tennis legend John McEnroe has made his prediction as to when 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will hang up his racquet ahead of this week's ...

Live Coverage of ATP + WTA Tour Tournaments including Every Finals Match. Watch Tennis Live with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. “I don’t want it to happen, but I think he will have a great tournament, potentially win it and say goodbye”, said Zverev in a 2023 predictions video for Eurosport.

Famously superstitious tennis champion Rafa Nadal has halted play in his opening match of the Australian Open after a ball boy made off with his tennis ...

I think I am humble enough to accept that situation and just work with what I have today. I need to build again this confidence with myself with victories. 'I need to build again all this momentum. 'Goodness me, that's a big mistake and he knows. Fellow commentator John Fitzgerald saw the serious side of it, though. As his search got more and more frantic Nadal realised that the ball boy had taken his racquet during the break between sets

There was a comical and almost farcical moment during Rafael Nadal's opening match against Britain's Jack Draper at the Australian Open on Monday.

"He plays with a vibration dampener and that has been taken with the current racquet he was playing with. He must have a spare one, surely! "I need the racquet back! I need the dampener and everything. It all amounted to some entertaining exchanges on Rod Laver Arena as he attempted to get it back. Australian Open

The Spaniard got the 1068th win of his career with a four-set victory over Britain's Jack Draper on Rod Laver Arena.

Awaiting Nadal in the second round will be No. “Well, if we put in perspective all the situation I went through the last six months, it has been a very positive start. Just super happy to be back here in Rod Laver Arena, and with a victory that I needed. And the match was a brawl from the start. Nadal couldn’t have asked for a more dangerous first-round opponent than Draper, though—not only was the 21-year-old British lefty only five spots out the seeds, but he came into the Australian Open with momentum, too, having reached the semifinals in Adelaide last week. Facts & Stats

Defending champion Rafael Nadal was left without the racquet he wanted to use in his opening match against Britain's Jack Draper after a ballboy seemingly ...

However, Drapper made a strong comeback in the second set, winning it by 6-2. I need the dampener and everything. “I need the racquet back.

Top-seeded Nadal recovered from a second-set wobble to defeat the 38th-ranked Briton 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena.

It wasn't a vintage performance by Rafael Nadal, but the defending Australian Open champion began his pursuit of a 23rd Grand Slam with a four-set victory ...

"But unfortunately, that (is in the past), so we need to keep working.'' [Carlos Alcaraz](http://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/players/profile?playerId=3782) is sidelined with an injury, is appearing in his 67th Grand Slam tournament. No doubt about that,'' said Nadal, who came back from a two-set deficit against Draper, ranked a career-best No. From there, though, Nadal would not drop another game, beginning his pursuit of a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam championship with a 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory that took more than 3½ hours in Rod Laver Arena. Nadal was not in peak form.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: Jack Draper made a painful exit from the Australian Open after the exertion of trying to take down Rafael Nadal proved too much.

We are going to see him playing a lot of years here having great results.' Draper struggled with cramp, playing in the longest and most physical match of his life so far - Nadal came through in four sets as Draper struggled with cramp in the match

Rafael Nadal has explained to Eurosport's Barbara Schett exactly what happened when a ball kid took his racquet away to the stringer when he needed it.

"Winning against Jack [Draper], I needed to do things well, of course. "When you put everything into perspective, I had a very tricky opponent in the first round. he told Schett with a smile. It all amounted to some entertaining exchanges on Rod Laver Arena as he attempted to get it back. "I need to accept that, to stay with the right attitude, and it happened in the second [set, which Draper won] and it happened in the fourth at the beginning, but that’s part of the business now." Australian Open

Rafael Nadal had to dig deep on Monday at the Australian Open to claw through his first-round match against Jack Draper. But for the defending champion it ...

I am happy that I was able to win against a great player this afternoon.” “When you break the abdominal, you start to protect yourself, putting the ball more to the left, trying to not do the movement, the full movement, with the abdominal.” But I think he is in the right position to have a very productive season. I am in a moment that I am more up and down. “I think it's only cramping that happened at the end to him. “To win against Jack, as I said before the tournament started, has been one of the toughest first rounds possible being seeded. “I needed a victory, so that's the main thing. A great future in front, I think. “But to win against Jack, I need to do things well. I think I did things well. The most important thing today is a victory against a tough opponent,” Nadal said. A win was a win.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal was far from his best as he produced an error-laden performance during his opening-round victory over Jack Draper at the ...

[Australian Open](https://www.tennis365.com/category/australian-open/) Draper’s former coach Justin Sherring told the Daily Telegraph: “We used to base a lot of our game development around Rafa.

Midway through the first set against Britain's Jack Draper, the 22-time grand slam winner stood with his arms spread as explained to the umpire that he was ...

“The combination of lights.” “Unfortunately that passed, so we need to keep working. I need the dampener and everything,” added the Spaniard, referring to the small rubber device which tennis players place between the strings to lessen the impact when they hit shots. “I need the racquet back! “Normally, I have the number of the rackets under control so I said I need the stringer, but I need the stringer for the other racket,” Nadal explained, per Eurosport. After the match, Nadal described the racket snafu as a “funny situation.”

Rafael Nadal, who is the top seed due to Carlos Alcaraz's injury, is competing in his 67th Grand Slam tournament.

The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). Draper, currently ranked 38th, was making his fourth appearance in a major tournament and his best showing was reaching the third round at the US Open last September. [Fahrenheit](/topic/fahrenheit)heat, but Draper managed to break Nadal's serve in the fourth set.

Who won? Who lost? How did the Americans do? Find all that info and more right here.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal drops a set but prevails in a battle of fitness against British hope Jack Draper to reach the second round of the Australian ...

"To go toe-to-toe with him on a big court like that is special. Draper, who recently hired a fitness coach in Croatian Dejan Vojnovic, said: "I felt at the beginning of the third that my tennis was right there. The second set, I sort of calmed down and started playing really well. Speaking on court afterwards, Nadal said: "If we put in perspective all the situations I went through the last six months, it has been a very positive start. I played against one of the toughest opponents possible in the first round. "After last year, I was really excited about doing a good pre-season.

On day one of the Australian Open 2023, Rafael Nadal won his opening match against Britain's Jack Draper at Rod Laver Arena. The Spaniard has now advanced ...

He went on to say it was “no problem at all” as the ball boy picked the racquet that he was “ready to play with”. He further exclaims, “I need the racquet back…I need the dampener and everything”. During the game, Nadal can be heard explaining to the umpire that the racquet left on the bench was for the stringer and “not that one”.

It was when Jack Draper got back to the locker room that he felt the full pain of trying to overhaul Rafael Nadal, deep muscular cramps gripping his ribs.

That had been his undoing in the first set, playing a few ill-judged drop shots when he was otherwise matching a player he grew up idolising. ' I almost felt at the beginning of the third that my tennis was right there. This was the seventh time in eight matches that he has lost when it has gone beyond two and a half hours. I had two viral infections so had to be on antibiotics on two occasions. I am happy that I was able to win against a great player.' Cramp wrecks Jack Draper's brave bid to oust Rafael Nadal in the first round of the Australian Open...

Who won? Who lost? How did the Americans do? Find all that info and more right here.

Nadal was on court when Kyrgios called a hastily arranged press conference and announced that he was out of the tournament with a knee injury.

The 18-year-old Gauff now faces a mouth-watering encounter against former US Open champion Emma Raducanu. "I'm really looking forward to this match," Raducanu said. "I think we're both good, young players, we're both coming through -- part of the next generation of tennis really -- it's going to be a great match." "I'm very up for it. The first Grand Slam of the year had already lost several stars in the build-up. In the women's draw, top seed Iga Swiatek survived a tough examination while Jessica Pegula and teenage prodigy Coco Gauff were both emphatic winners on the first day of action.