Alex de Minaur Ends Rafael Nadal's Barcelona Comeback as Brit Draper Goes Further in Munich
Rafael Nadal's return from a three-month injury layoff ended with a shock defeat to Alex de Minaur in the second round of the Barcelona Open on Wednesday. Nadal, who had won this tournament 12 times, including the last two years, lost 7-5 6-1 to the Australian world number 11. The defeat came a day after the 37-year-old Spaniard, who has won 22 tennis majors, came from behind to beat Italian Flavio Cobolli in straight sets.
Nadal, who has struggled with a chronic foot problem and last played competitively at the Australian Open in January, said he was saving his energy for a potential return at the French Open next month. "On a personal level, for what is to come, the 6-1 in the second set is what had to happen today," he said. "It wasn't today that I had to give everything and die. I have to give myself the chance to do that [at the French Open] in a few weeks, or at least try to."
De Minaur, 25, had pinpointed Nadal's suspect backhand as a potential weakness, and moved him around the court skillfully, forcing him to play shots on the run and opening up angles for winners. The Australian broke Nadal twice in the first set and three times in the second, ending the contest in an hour and a quarter. After the match, Nadal received a standing ovation from the Barcelona crowd, perhaps for the last time. The Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell tournament has been held in the Catalan capital since 1953 and has been won by many of the all-time greats, including Björn Borg, Ivan Lendl, and John McEnroe. Nadal has won it more than any other player in history.
Meanwhile, at the BMW Open in Munich, British men's number two Jack Draper reached his 10th ATP Tour quarter-final. The 22-year-old fought back after a rain delay to earn a 4-6 6-1 6-1 win over German world number 179 Rudolf Molleker at the clay-court event. Draper, who is ranked 89th in the world, broke Molleker three times in the second set and twice in the third to wrap up the match in one hour and 38 minutes. The win takes Draper into the last eight, where he will face either Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Sonego or German qualifier Maximilian Marterer.
In the women's draw, British number two Emma Raducanu's struggles continued as she fell in the opening round to fellow teenager Simona Waltert. The Swiss wild card, ranked 418 in the world, beat the 19-year-old British number two 6-4 6-4. Raducanu, the 10th seed, came back from a break down twice in the opening set but failed to win another break point throughout the contest. The British player has now failed to get past the first round in five out of six tournaments since winning the US Open last year.