Rafael Nadal’s damage comeback was ended by Alex de Minaur because the 12-time champion waved goodbye to the Barcelona Open for probably the ultimate time.
Nadal, 37, returned to court docket on Tuesday after a three-month absence, making gentle work of 21-year-old Italian Flavio Cobolli in a straight-set win.
A day later, Nadal misplaced 7-5 6-1 to world quantity 11 De Minaur in spherical two.
Nadal, a 22-time main winner, has indicated he plans to retire in 2024 if he’s unable to compete often.
The previous world primary, now ranked 644th, has solely performed 5 matches since January 2023 due to hip and stomach accidents.
Nadal is hoping to be match sufficient to make a return to the French Open, the place he gained a file 14 males’s singles titles,subsequent month and instructed he was preserving his vitality for Roland Garros throughout the latter levels of the De Minaur match.
“On a private stage, for what’s to return, the 6-1 within the second set is what needed to occur at this time,” he mentioned.
“It wasn’t at this time that I needed to give all the pieces and die. I’ve to provide myself the possibility to do this [at the French Open] in a number of weeks, or a minimum of attempt to.”
Dealing with a participant of De Minaur’s pedigree was at all times more likely to be a substantial step up, and a more true check of his stage than his comeback outing in opposition to 62nd-ranked Cobolli.
The 25-year-old Australian examined Nadal’s motion by utilizing drop photographs early within the match, an efficient tactic which helped him transfer 2-0 in entrance and tee up one other break level for 3-0.
However Nadal survived to carry and improved his stage, producing a variety of explosive cross-court backhand winners as he fought again to steer 4-3.
One other backhand winner, this time down the road, even drew a clap of the strings from De Minaur and teed up one other break level for Nadal.
Taking the possibility would have left Nadal serving for the set, however De Minaur recovered and gained 19 of the following 24 factors to win an opener lasting greater than an hour.
After so lengthy out, and with enjoying on consecutive days, Nadal’s endurance was at all times going to be examined, notably in opposition to an opponent identified for his athleticism.
De Minaur performed well in a one-sided second set and broke Nadal’s serve thrice, silencing the Barcelona crowd within the course of, to safe a formidable victory.
Nadal left the court docket bearing his identify – for what might be the ultimate time – to a standing ovation and rapturous send-off.
In the meantime, British males’s quantity two Jack Draper reached his tenth ATP Tour quarter-finals on the BMW Open in Munich.
Draper, 22, fought again after a rain delay to earn a 4-6 6-1 6-1 win over German world quantity 179 Rudolf Molleker on the clay-court occasion.