Defending Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal goes through the wringer to escape Great Britain's Jack Draper in the opening round.
Defending champion Rafa Nadal dropped a set but prevailed in a battle of fitness against rising talent Jack Draper to reach the second round of the Australian Open on Monday, January 16, with an unconvincing 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 win.
It was something of an escape for top seed Nadal, who came into the match with only one win since the US Open and was far from his best in a match that threw up unexpected challenges.“I was humble enough to accept that going to be a little bit ups and downs during the match. Typical thing when you are not in a winning mood.”
Yet there was still some drama as, at 4-3 in the opening set, Nadal complained during the change of ends that a ballkid had made off with his racket.Using a spare, he failed to convert a break point in the next game before the missing racket was returned. Despite Draper’s troubles, the Briton broke Nadal in the first game of the fourth set when he swooped on an ambitious drop-shot to slot a winner into an open court.
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