Nadal withdraws from Qatar Open, says ‘not ready to compete’
Former world no. 1 tennis star Rafael Nadal has further delayed his comeback after pulling out of the upcoming Qatar Open.
Former world no. 1 tennis star Rafael Nadal has further delayed his comeback after pulling out of the upcoming Qatar Open.
With U.S Open winner Carlos Alcaraz of Spain withdrawing due to an injury, his compatriot Rafael Nadal has been given the top billing in the men's singles draw in the Australian Open, starting in a few days.
Nadal also expressed how hopeful he is about the upcoming Australian open as he claimed that he is confident enough and his past few practice sessions are going well.
The Spanish megastar lost his first match of this season against Cameron Norrie and now lost his second match against Australia's Alex de Minaur in three games as the hosts took a lead of 1-0 in their Group D encounter.
Djokovic fans chanted “Novak Novak” when he walked onto the court. Previously, Novak, after a controversy relating to his vaccination status and his anti-vax statements, was held over by the Australian Border Force.
Spain, who had been forced to dig deep to win 2-1 against Britain, defeated Canada 2-0 as Nadal defeated Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 7-6(7) in the Caja Magica on Sunday.
Nadal and Feliciano Lopez paired up to defeat Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski 7-6(3), 7-6(8) to clinch the tie in its deciding rubber, marking the second straight knockout tie in which the 33-year-old competed for Spain in a deciding doubles rubber.
The squads that secured their place in the quarter-finals from the six round-robin groups include Serbia and host Spain -- led by Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, respectively -- as well as Great Britain.
Djokovic beat Yoshihito Nishioka 6-1, 6-2 to clinch the win after Filip Krajinovic beat Yuichi Sugita 6-2, 6-4. The Serbian wrapped up the contest in just one hour and seven minutes when one last potent first serve forced a return error.
At the age of 38, former world number one Roger Federer knows that the time to hang his boots is only getting closer with each passing day.