Defending Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal started his Australian Open 2023 campaign with a hard-fought win over Great Britain's Jack Draper on Monday. Nadal who is seeking his 23rd major title and third at Melbourne Park was made to toil hard against Briton.
In a match that lasted for 3 hours and 41 minutes, 36-year-old Nadal took four sets to round off the win and move into the next round.
Nadal started the match in style as he clinched the opening set 7-2. But 21-year-old Draper, who has surged into the top 40 in the ATP rankings, bounced back to take the second set 6-2. It was a one-way street after the second set as the Spaniard won the next two sets 6-4 6-1 to complete the win.
Draper, who like Nadal is also a left-hander, was superb up until he developed leg troubles and was left groaning in pain as Nadal closed out the match on a warm and sunny afternoon at Rod Laver Arena.
The grinding win, typical of Nadal, would be a relief for his fans as the star tennis player has not had the best of starts to the new year. The win against Draper is Nadal's first victory in 2023 and arrived after suffering six losses in his past seven outings overall.
Nadal was not in peak form. All in all, it was a bit of a struggle. He tried to put a silver-lining spin on things, nonetheless.
Nadal will now face world no. 65 USA's Mackenzie McDonald in the next round on Wednesday.
First Published: Jan 16, 2023 1:56 PM IST
