Rafael Nadal - Abu Dhabi title as additional motivation for the Australian Open
After his fifth triumph at the Abu Dhabi invitation tournament, Rafael Nadal wants to go one better at the Australian Open, which starts in a little less than a month.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit:
Dec 22, 2019, 07:12 pm
Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas didn't really need a lot of time to get used to the start of the new season. The two dueled in the final of the invitation tournament in Abu Dhabi for more than three hours and showed some excellent tennis.
In the end, the world number one from Spain prevailed in the tiebreak of the third set and thus secured the fifth title in Abu Dhabi. Nadal was not completely satisfied with himself and his game: "There are things that I have to improve for the ATP Cup and the Australian Open," said the 33-year-old in an interview with PuntoDeBreak .
Nevertheless, the win would give him additional motivation for the upcoming tasks, said Nadal. "Winning is important for motivation. But we cannot let ourselves go crazy now," said the Mallorcan.
Open bill at the Australian Open
Nonetheless, the 19-time Grand Slam winner in the United Arab Emirates demonstrated that you can still count on him in 2020. Now Nadal wants to take a few days off to prepare for the two events in Australia.
We can't let ourselves go crazy now.
Rafael Nadal
As of January 3, Nadal and Spain will compete for the ATP Cup title, and from January 20, the Australian Open will take place in Melbourne. Here, the world number one from last year still has a bill to settle: In the final, Nadal suffered an evil defeat against Novak Djokovic . A new edition in a little more than a month would only be of limited surprise.