Nadal reveals reason for bizarre ballboy blow-up

1 year ago 67

By Chris De Silva and Emily Patterson

Rafael Nadal survived a monolithic scare against Great Britain's Jack Draper to triumph successful 4 sets, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, connected Rod Laver Arena.

Nadal was made to enactment highly hard by the awesome Draper, who was cruelled by cramps for the bulk of the contest.

Not easy rattled, the No.1 effect and reigning Open champion was besides distracted by a bizarre blunder with his kit.

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During a interruption aft the seventh crippled of the archetypal set, Nadal returned to his players seat to observe the adjacent racquet successful his playing series had disappeared from its spot.

After rummaging astir his things, Nadal reported the missing racquet to the seat umpire - claiming it had mistakenly been taken by a ballboy to beryllium re-stringed.

"I request the racquet back," Nadal could beryllium heard saying.

Watch the Australian Open unrecorded and escaped connected the Nine Network: Channel 9, 9Gem and 9NOW.

"They've taken his racquet that he's utilizing astatine the moment, [the one] that helium wants," Mark Petchey explained successful commentary for Nine.

"Hopefully they haven't chopped the strings retired of it.

"You don't often get a archetypal successful a Rafa lucifer aft each these years but that is decidedly the archetypal [time] that that would person happened."

"Goodness maine that's a large mistake … helium knows the tension, helium knows the series helium wants to usage his racquets in," added John Fitzgerald.

"It's worthy a spot to that racquet, helium whitethorn ne'er spot that again. It mightiness beryllium [now] connected the streets of Melbourne somewhere."

Speaking post-match, Nadal described the mishap arsenic a "funny situation".

"Normally I person the numbers of the racquet nether power truthful I say, 'I request the stringer' but I needed the stringer for the different racquet. He picked the racquet that I was acceptable to play [with]," helium told Eurosport.

"But yeah, nary occupation astatine all."

Nadal was decidedly good beneath his best, but arsenic helium has done galore times implicit his illustrious career, the Spanish warrior someway recovered a way.

"There volition beryllium the world that his tennis isn't wherever it needs to beryllium conscionable yet," Petchey said connected commentary.

However, speaking afterwards, Nadal adopted a realistic outlook connected his signifier fixed his caller wounded issues.

Rafa reflects connected 'tough' run

"Last twelvemonth was without the uncertainty 1 of the astir affectional tournaments of my career, but unluckily that's passed and we request to support working," helium said of past year's Open, which helium won.

"If we enactment successful position each the situations I've been done successful the past six months, it's been a precise affirmative start."

Nadal was besides precise complimentary of his opponent, saying: "He's got a large aboriginal successful beforehand of him".

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