He had to win and he did. As he confessed during the press conference, the hows and whys will presumably still have to wait for some time. Rafael Nadal opened his Australian Open defense with a close victory over Jack Draper, conditioned by a muscular problem in the middle of the third set. The Spanish phenom, despite a performance of 46 unforced errors, finally managed to limit the damage and guarantee himself at least a second-round challenge against McDonald. “I needed a win, that was all. It didn’t matter how. The most important thing today was to face a difficult opponent and beat them, and I have succeeded. There probably couldn’t have been a worse draw, and he had already said so before the tournament. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but I think I did the right thing when it was needed. On days like this you have to accept mistakes and try to do your best to win, I was humble enough to realize that there were going to be ups and downs, which is typical when you’re not in the ‘mood’ to win,” he explained legitimately. , given that since Wimbledon last season the victories could be counted on the palm of one hand. Chapter Draper: “I was not impressed because I know him well. I know the qualities of him and I know the problems he can give anyone. I think he is a great player with a lot of potential, so it was difficult. I only respect him. I hope that in the end the ones he had were just camps”, he said with a fatherly air. Speaking of fatherhood, for Nadal this is the first Slam in the company of Rafa Jr. “My approach to competition hasn’t changed since I became a father, for the better or for worse.”
Rafael Nadal got his first win of the season
Following his win over Jack Draper, Rafael Nadal will lock horns with Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open. “As I said before the tournament start, he’s a great player with a lot of potential, young. A great future in front, I think. So was a tough, tough match. Full respect for him. Wish him well for the future,” Nadal said. “I think it’s only cramping what happened at the end to him. Hopefully is nothing important. But I think he is in the right position to have a very productive season. I am happy that I was able to win against a great player this afternoon,” he added.
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