ATP Melbourne: Still on the entry list - but Rafael Nadal's start is still uncertain
It is still uncertain whether Rafael Nadal will actually start at the ATP 250 tournament in Melbourne after his Covid infection. Nevertheless, the field of participants can definitely please.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Dec 28, 2021, 09:24 pm
A positive corona test after the invitation tournament in Abu Dhabi probably shocked not only Rafael Nadal himself - the tournament organizers in "down under" have been trembling since then whether they can expect the "Bull of Manacor" to participate or not. Apart from the ATP Cup, which already starts this Saturday, two more Australian Open preparation tournaments await players and fans next week with the two ATP World Tour 250 tournaments in Adelaide and Melbourne.
In and of itself, the Mallorcan named for the event in Melbourne and is still on the entry list of the hard court event. Time will soon be short, however, because the calendar will only count five days until next Monday. The 20-time Grand Slam champion is currently still in quarantine in his house in Porto Cristo and is pumping weights, which he recently put on display in an Instagram story.
Nick Kyrgios with wild card
Should Nadal decide against playing in the five million metropolis, Reilly Opelka would inherit the number one position in the tournament grid. Behind them are Grigor Dimitrov, Lloyd Harris and David Goffin, profound experts in the white sport. With Dominik Köpfer, a DTB player is also among the seeded - with Nadal the number eight, without him the number seven.
Richard Gasquet is currently number 87 in the ATP rankings and is the last to qualify directly for the main field. Local hero Nick Kyrgios (ATP 93) was given a wild card. The "enfant terrible" of the men's tour has not been used in the tournament since the US Open at the beginning of September.