Rafael Nadal was stopped in two sets (7-5, 6-1) by Alex De Minaur. The 37-year-old Spaniard, who won his big comeback this Tuesday, was unable to continue in the 2nd round of the ATP 500 in Barcelona.
The Australian exploited the physical weaknesses of a Spaniard who is still a little tender. “Rafa” expected a much more complicated test against the 11th in the world: “It will be a very demanding match, there will be a rhythm, and I don't know if I can follow it. » And it didn't fail from the start, with Nadal winning the first point and the first cushion from the Australian, who really didn't want to spare his opponent of the day. But in the money time at 5-5, it was his physical freshness and the sequence of very high-level matches that made the difference against Nadal, making a mistake in extended exchanges at the worst of times ( 7-5).