Rafa Nadal defeated by Alex de Minaur at the Barcelona Open
The 14-time French Open winner couldn’t get past the Aussie, who came out on top in straight sets.
The French Open is getting closer and although Rafa Nadal’s return is very positive news, he seems to be far from his best level.
After defeating Flavio Cobolli in the previous round, Nadal couldn’t repeat his performance against Alex De Minaur, who proved too consistent for the Spaniard (7-5, 6-1).
Rafa, a 12-time champion in the Catalan city, was playing his first tournament since he got injured in Brisbane at the start of the year. That probably was one of the main reasons why he ended up being defeated by the Aussie. The 22-time major champion made 44 unforced errors in the match, something his opponent took advantage of.
It is the earliest Nadal has lost in the tournament since his debut in 2003. Now, he will keep with his training regime to get ready for the Madrid Open, another good test for him before the start of the French Open.
De Minaur, one of the best players in 2024
After beating Cobolli in his first match in Barcelona, Nadal admitted that De Minaur would pose a much bigger threat and he wasn’t wrong.
The Sydney-bred talent is one of the most in-form players in the ATP. He has played 36 matches so far this year, winning 29 and losing seven.
He got to the Rotterdam Open final, where he lost to Jannik Sinner in February and lifted the trophy in Acapulco, beating Casper Ruud in the last round.
However, one of his greatest performances as a professional took place at the start of 2024, when the United Cup took place in January. Defending Australia he defeated the likes of Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev consecutively. However, he couldn’t lead his country to lift the trophy, as Germany went on to win the event after beating Poland in the final.