Australian Open: Rafael Nadal gives the all-clear
Rafael Nadal's start at the Australian Open shouldn't seem to stand in the way, despite slight back problems.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Feb 04, 2021, 09:56 am
It was not good news that Rafael Nadal announced on Tuesday: Due to back problems, the world number two could not compete in his ATP Cup game against Alex de Minaur. "I warmed up to see if I could play. But I didn't feel ready and Pablo (Carreno Busta, note) stepped in," Nadal told Movistar TV.
Both Carreno Busta and Roberto Bautista Agut prevailed against Australia in their respective singles and thus ensured a dream start for the Spaniards. "You are one of the best players in the world and you go to the court with the same motivation as I do. You want to play as well as possible and of course win. It's no drama if I don't play," said Nadal.
Probably for this reason, the 20-time Grand Slam winner announced on Wednesday that he wanted to take a break against the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas. Since the game was suspended on Thursday due to a corona case , Nadal might still play his first official game of the season in the group stage of the ATP Cup.
Because although he doesn't see himself at 100 percent yet, he's already doing better than at the beginning of the week: "I'm not in terrible shape, but not yet ready to play. At the end of a training session I felt that I got a little stiff. I'm treated daily and I trust that things will improve in the days to come. "