Australian Open: Rafael Nadal sprinkles compatriot Carlos Alcaraz roses
Rafael Nadal spoke about his back pain after his first round win at the Australian Open . In addition, the world number two had an assessment of another Spaniard who made it into round two on Tuesday: Carlos Alcaraz .
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Feb 09, 2021, 03:28 pm
It was a classic performance to kick off a Grand Slam that Rafael Nadal played in the Rod Laver Arena in the early Tuesday morning hours. At no point did you get the feeling that the Spaniard would let anything burn against the Serb Laslo Djere: Almost two hours later, the logical consequence: 6: 3, 6: 4 and 6: 1 for the Mallorcan, who bought his second round ticket and can now prepare for the meeting with the qualifier Michael Mmoh.
A preparation that is not inconvenient for the 20-time Grand Slam champion, given the back pain that Nadal has been struggling with for days . "My back is not perfect like I said a few days ago. With every day that follows, there is probably more room to improve. There is always a chance to improve and that's why I'm here playing and fighting to try to improve and then give me a chance, "said the Spaniard at the press conference after his opening win.
According to Nadal, he would look from day to day and assume that he will be able to improve physically as the tournament progresses: "I didn't feel so good today, let's put it that way. I had to change my service movement a bit. Tomorrow I have a day off. And the day after tomorrow another game. I have to look from day to day and try to stay positive. Of course, every day that I'm here longer is a day with the chance to improve, so try I do that, " quoted Punto de Break as the world number two.
Alcaraz "has everything to become a great champion"
While Nadal's opening success came as a surprise to few, another Spaniard made headlines on Tuesday. The only 17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz defeated the Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in three clear sets and is now in the second round. This has not left Spain's number one without a trace. In any case, the 34-year-old only found words of praise for the youngster in his press conference: "He is very good. He is very young. He has everything to improve in the future," said Nadal.
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The world number two went even further and gave the 17-year-old Alcaraz a good chance of having a great career. "I really think he has a bright future because he's a good, humble, hard working guy. He has a lot of positive qualities. He has intensity. He has passion. He has all the ingredients to be a great champion and it can still improve a lot over the next few years. "