Rafael Nadal

Famously superstitious tennis champion Rafa Nadal has halted play in his opening match of the Australian Open after a ball boy made off with his tennis ...

I think I am humble enough to accept that situation and just work with what I have today. I need to build again this confidence with myself with victories. 'I need to build again all this momentum. 'Goodness me, that's a big mistake and he knows. Fellow commentator John Fitzgerald saw the serious side of it, though. As his search got more and more frantic Nadal realised that the ball boy had taken his racquet during the break between sets

The Spaniard got the 1068th win of his career with a four-set victory over Britain's Jack Draper on Rod Laver Arena.

Awaiting Nadal in the second round will be No. “Well, if we put in perspective all the situation I went through the last six months, it has been a very positive start. Just super happy to be back here in Rod Laver Arena, and with a victory that I needed. And the match was a brawl from the start. Nadal couldn’t have asked for a more dangerous first-round opponent than Draper, though—not only was the 21-year-old British lefty only five spots out the seeds, but he came into the Australian Open with momentum, too, having reached the semifinals in Adelaide last week. Facts & Stats

Rafael Nadal defeated Jack Draper in his Australian Open first round match for his first win of 2023. | Tennis News.

Americans Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Danielle Collins, the 2022 runner-up at Melbourne Park, all reached the second round in the women’s bracket with victories earlier Monday. Nadal was not in peak form but did manage to beat Draper 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 in a match that took more than 3 1/2 hours in Rod Laver Arena on Monday. Rafael Nadal defeated Jack Draper in his Australian Open first round match for his first win of 2023.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal was left without the racquet he wanted to use in his opening match against Britain's Jack Draper after a ballboy seemingly ...

However, Drapper made a strong comeback in the second set, winning it by 6-2. I need the dampener and everything. “I need the racquet back.

Top-seeded Nadal recovered from a second-set wobble to defeat the 38th-ranked Briton 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal was far from his best as he produced an error-laden performance during his opening-round victory over Jack Draper at the ...

[Australian Open](https://www.tennis365.com/category/australian-open/) Draper’s former coach Justin Sherring told the Daily Telegraph: “We used to base a lot of our game development around Rafa.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE: Jack Draper made a painful exit from the Australian Open after the exertion of trying to take down Rafael Nadal proved too much.

We are going to see him playing a lot of years here having great results.' Draper struggled with cramp, playing in the longest and most physical match of his life so far - Nadal came through in four sets as Draper struggled with cramp in the match

Rafael Nadal had to dig deep on Monday at the Australian Open to claw through his first-round match against Jack Draper. But for the defending champion it ...

I am happy that I was able to win against a great player this afternoon.” “When you break the abdominal, you start to protect yourself, putting the ball more to the left, trying to not do the movement, the full movement, with the abdominal.” But I think he is in the right position to have a very productive season. I am in a moment that I am more up and down. “I think it's only cramping that happened at the end to him. “To win against Jack, as I said before the tournament started, has been one of the toughest first rounds possible being seeded. “I needed a victory, so that's the main thing. A great future in front, I think. “But to win against Jack, I need to do things well. I think I did things well. The most important thing today is a victory against a tough opponent,” Nadal said. A win was a win.

Rafael Nadal looked a bit rusty during his first-round win over "tricky opponent" Jack Draper at the Australian Open, but he feels it is all part of the ...

[Australian Open](https://www.tennis365.com/category/australian-open/) “Just happy that I am able to play tennis at this stage of my career. That helps a lot. “When you put everything into perspective, I had a very tricky opponent in the first round. [discovery+](https://www.discoveryplus.com/gb/sport/tennis/australian-open?utm_campaign=UK-EU-D1-WBD-C11-PR-CAM-AW-W-Tennis-AustralianOpen-221221-NA&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pr.com&utm_content=text-paid-prcom-id1) and Eurosport [Eurosport](https://www.eurosport.co.uk/tennis/australian-open/2023/exclusive-rafael-nadal-describes-funny-situation-with-ball-kid-taking-away-his-racquet-at-australian_sto9323708/story.shtml).

Midway through the first set against Britain's Jack Draper, the 22-time grand slam winner stood with his arms spread as explained to the umpire that he was ...

“The combination of lights.” “Unfortunately that passed, so we need to keep working. I need the dampener and everything,” added the Spaniard, referring to the small rubber device which tennis players place between the strings to lessen the impact when they hit shots. “I need the racquet back! “Normally, I have the number of the rackets under control so I said I need the stringer, but I need the stringer for the other racket,” Nadal explained, per Eurosport. After the match, Nadal described the racket snafu as a “funny situation.”

The tennis legend entered another Australian Open campaign and things were going according to plan in the first set before the defending champion noticed ...

At times I felt I was in a good place to win the match." "First it was the legs and then towards the end I started feeling it my ab/rib. With a dangerous, young and improving opponent on the other side of the net, Nadal needed to raise his level. Nadal gave up the search for the racquet before taking a new one from his bag and continuing to play. "I need the racquet back! "You don't often get a first in a Rafa match after all these years, but that is definitely the first that that would've happened,” Petsch added.

Rafael Nadal was involved in a bizarre incident at the start of his Australian Open clash with Jack Draper.

"So the other thing that I said to myself was ‘okay, I know that’s going to happen because I need victories to avoid that'. "Well, if you put into perspective how we arrived here with a lot of injuries in the last six months, then coming back it hasn’t been easy with losses on the road, I don't think it was a bad match at all," he said. But he was delighted at being able to put those issues behind him with a solid win to start the Australian Open. And he cleared up the situation, admitting that it was just a mix-up in communication. He was ultimately unable to recover enough to challenge Nadal any further with the Spaniard going on to win in four sets. But there was confusion on the court when, during the changeover and the score 4-3 in Nadal's favour, he went back to his chair to see something was missing.

The Spanish tennis player, who scored his first victory, said he was grateful to have Mery Perelló and his little Rafa by his side.

In a press conference after the match, Nadal reiterated what he feels in this new chapter of his life he shares with his wife. “I don’t know how I would feel if my baby was not here with me for a month. With this win, he advances to the second round of the tournament, in which he will face Mackenzie McDonald from the U.S. The topic of his new fatherhood quickly came up, and he responded willingly and with a big smile. He even shared the video of this interview, which the hosts of the Australian Open conducted. [Rafael Nadal](https://www.hola.com/us/tags/rafael-nadal/) is determined to flip the page and redeem the bad luck he had last year on a professional level.

It was when Jack Draper got back to the locker room that he felt the full pain of trying to overhaul Rafael Nadal, deep muscular cramps gripping his ribs.

That had been his undoing in the first set, playing a few ill-judged drop shots when he was otherwise matching a player he grew up idolising. ' I almost felt at the beginning of the third that my tennis was right there. This was the seventh time in eight matches that he has lost when it has gone beyond two and a half hours. I had two viral infections so had to be on antibiotics on two occasions. I am happy that I was able to win against a great player.' Cramp wrecks Jack Draper's brave bid to oust Rafael Nadal in the first round of the Australian Open...

On day one of the Australian Open 2023, Rafael Nadal won his opening match against Britain's Jack Draper at Rod Laver Arena. The Spaniard has now advanced ...

He went on to say it was “no problem at all” as the ball boy picked the racquet that he was “ready to play with”. He further exclaims, “I need the racquet back…I need the dampener and everything”. During the game, Nadal can be heard explaining to the umpire that the racquet left on the bench was for the stringer and “not that one”.

Jack Draper took Rafael Nadal to four sets before injury set in at the Australian Open.

The world No.40 saved one set point with an ace down the middle but Nadal took his second with a backhand crosscourt winner after another Draper drop shot. Draper had matched the 22-time Grand Slam winner for most of a first set most memorable for a ballboy taking the wrong racquet to be restrung at the changeover at 4-3. The British No.3 played a superb second set and broke Nadal twice to draw the match level.