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Alex de Minaur defeated Rafael Nadal 7-5, 6-1 in a second-round clash at the Barcelona Open on Wednesday, April 17.
de Minaur did it by breaking Nadal on five occasions and maintaining a superior conversion rate of 75 percent and 65 percent on the first and second serves, respectively, in a match that lasted an hour and 52 minutes.
As the Spanish legend inches closer to his retirement, this could be his last appearance at the Barcelona Open, a tournament he has won a staggering 12 times. Hence, de Minaur expressed dismay while talking to the media after the match.
"Obviously, like everyone in tennis, I'm a little sad because nobody wants Rafa to stop playing," he said. (as quoted by Punto de Break; translated)
Notably, this was de Minaur's second win in his five encounters with the 22-time Grand Slam champion. The Aussie then talked briefly about how he prepared for the match.
"I knew as soon as I saw the draw that I had a chance to play against Rafa and that if it happened, it would be a unique match, very special, nothing like the ones we have had in the past. Maybe in the past I could worry a little bit more about how I wanted to play tactically or what I wanted to do well, what the plan was," Alex de Minaur said.
The 25-year-old was satisfied with his effort and the result. He continued:
"Today, I was trying to play it like any other game, which wasn't easy at all. I'm very happy with how I approached it and I was able to get the win at the end."
"Rafael Nadal's ball weight is still the same, it hasn't changed" - Alex de Minaur
Further in his press conference at the Barcelona Open 2024, Alex de Minaur noted that Rafael Nadal was able to generate the amount of power that he's known for on his shots during their second-round meeting on Wednesday, April 17.
"Rafa has a lot of strength with his shots and still has a lot of winners, we saw it in several points today," Alex de Minaur said.
de Minaur suggested that staying away from courts might have hampered the 37-year-old's movement but the latter's returns haven't lost the heaviness. He said:
"Maybe, what is difficult for him a little more is to move, that is something normal and that comes with such a long time without playing. On land, it takes longer to win. His ball weight is still the same, it hasn't changed."
This was Nadal's only fifth tour match of the year as he didn't play since losing to Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International in January this year.
Alex de Minaur, on the other hand, is chasing his second title of the season as he already won the Acapulco Open in March. He would take on Arthur Fils from France in the third round on Thursday in the ATP 500 event in Barcelona.
