ALEX DE MINAUR 'LOSING ALL RESPECT' FOR RAFAEL NADAL AHEAD OF MADRID OPEN GRUDGE MATCH
Alex De Minaur is getting ready to "lose all respect" for Rafael Nadal as they will face off for the second time in as many weeks. The Spaniard has a chance to get revenge in Madrid after losing to the world No. 11 at the recent Barcelona Open. But De Minaur will be dangerous as he puts his admiration for the 22-time Major champion aside.
De Minaur and Nadal will contest a blockbuster second-round match at the Madrid Open on Saturday, just 10 days after they faced off at the same stage in Barcelona. It was the Australian's second career win over the former world No. 1 and he will be looking for his third, which would level their head-to-head record.
The 25-year-old lost his first three matches against Nadal but has claimed the last two - their recent Barcelona contest and a round-robin match at the 2023 United Cup. And the secret to De Minaur's success has been down to the lack of respect he shows Nadal in their matches.
De Minaur recently recalled his first meeting with Nadal at Wimbledon in 2018 and shared what he learned about playing the 22-time Grand Slam champion. "So much physicality, even on the grass, so I can only imagine on a clay court. You have to lose all the respect you have for him and just play him as another player," he said during an episode of All on the Table.
Removing Nadal's aura and intimidation factor worked for De Minaur in Barcelona, where they competed on Pista Rafa Nadal - a court named after the Spanish tennis star. After a tight first set, he came through to win 7-5 6-1.
And the world No. 11 will need to treat Nadal like any other player again in Madrid, where the five-time former champion again has the benefit of being the home favourite. However, Nadal has given himself virtually no chance against the 10th seed ahead of their rematch.
After winning his first-round match in Madrid, the 37-year-old said: "Saturday is an opportunity to test myself as a tennis player. In Barcelona, I was only able to compete in one set. Alex is a tough opponent, he makes you play every point, to win I need time and effort. I'm not ruling anything out, but it's a match in which I'm not a favourite."
The match will be De Minaur's first of the tournament after he received a bye into the second round. Meanwhile, Nadal stormed through his opening match and needed just 64 minutes to beat 16-year-old wildcard Darwin Blanch 6-1 6-0.
But he isn't reading too much into the victory after admitting that his inexperienced opponent made too many mistakes. "You have to be honest, I have played against a player who has made many mistakes and has given me a lot of ease. I played against an opponent with a lot of potential but who made a lot of mistakes, it lasted an hour," Nadal added.
2024-04-27T05:39:07Z dg43tfdfdgfd