‘Rafael Nadal has finished the year without rhythm’, says expert

Daniil Medvedev returns. The Russian tennis player is registered, like all the greats of the men’s circuit, in this new edition of the Australian Open, as the seventh seed of the tournament. In Melbourne, the former number one will have to defend the exciting final that he lost last year: winning by two sets, the Russian number one was beaten by Rafael Nadal, who won the twenty-first Grand Slam title. A crazy final, which left its mark on the winner of the 2021 Us Open. In a recent interview, in fact, according to Sportskeeda, Medvedev had said that that final was difficult to beat: “Then came this final against Rafa. I would have liked to do better. Obviously, right after a loss like that in the Australian Open final, for a few days, even a few weeks, it was difficult for me. It’s complicated”. In another interview with Julie Marie on her YouTube channel, he spoke about that Melbourne final again, with a slightly different point of view than her last words. When asked which match he would choose as the craziest of 2022, Daniil Medvedev does not have many doubts: “I had many, I want to say the match against Rafa. I hated that match because I lost, but it was crazy.” However, always going back to the Australian Open, he has other memories of crazy matches played on Australian soil. “Honestly, the matches I played against Tsitsipas, twice in the semifinals, were crazy. , because we know that there is a large Greek community in Australia. I think that, apart from Greece, it is the largest community in the world. When you go to the stadium, the atmosphere is crazy. I managed to win twice, so I have good memories from the semi-finals,” added the Russian number one. Rafael Nadal praised the level of the competition, but pointed out flaws in the format of the inaugural edition of the United Cup. “Putting things in perspective, that this competition seems to me a negative point, you know. The competition is great. The idea is great. It’s not great that we’re at stake today. I really believe – it’s the first year of this competition, so it’s the kind of thing that needs to be fixed, improved and made more interesting for everyone,” Rafael Nadal declared during the post-match press conference.

Rafa kicked off his 2023 season in the worst possible manner

Rafael Nadal’s personal doctor Cotorro believes that the World No. 2 is doing well and is gradually improving with every match. “He’s fine, in the progression phase because that’s what he needs when he has finished the year without rhythm. He has had good games and is doing well,” Cotorro said. “Let’s hope that like all the Spaniards, Carlos, Pablo and Roberto, are ready to compete in Australia and let’s hope that everything goes well,” Cotorro said.