Nadal cruises despite back injury
History- seeking Spaniard puts Australian Open on notice
Rafael Nadal eased concerns over his injured back as he made a fast start to his bid for a record 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open on Tuesday.
On a day when women’s champion Sofia Kenin also went through, but two- time winner Victoria Azarenka lost after breathing problems, Nadal appeared untroubled in his first match of the year.
The Spanish great, who pulled out of last year’s ATP Cup with back problems, beat Serbia’s Laslo Djere 6- 3, 6- 4, 6- 1 in one hour and 52 minutes on a sun- kissed Rod Laver Arena.
“It’s been a tough 15 days for me… My back is not perfect,” said the 2009 champion, whose only appearance this year had been an exhibition against Dominic Thiem in Adelaide 12 days ago, where he first experienced stiffness in his back.
“There is always a chance to improve, and that’s why I’m here playing and fighting to try to get better and then give myself a chance.”
The injury forced him to make changes in his service action against Djere, who didn’t have the weapons to trouble the second seed despite Nadal being below par.
“Today it’s not great. I needed to change a little bit the motion of my serve,” he said.
“I need to go day- to- day and just try to stay positive. I’m trying to do all the things possible to be ready for compete.”
Nadal, 34, is bidding to outstrip his old rival Roger Federer, who is missing the tournament as he recovers from surgery, and take sole ownership of the all- time record for Grand Slam titles.
After world No. 1 Novak Djokovic eased through late on Monday, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev extended his winning streak to 15 matches with an emphatic 6- 2, 6- 2, 6- 4 victory over Canada’s Vasek Pospisil.
The 2019 US Open finalist is raising hopes of a maiden Grand Slam title with his unbeaten run, which includes winning the Paris Masters, ATP Finals and last week’s ATP Cup with Russia.
“I didn’t know how it would be physically, but I managed to finish it fast and I’m feeling good,” said the world No. 4.
“I had to go out and win the match because that’s my job.”
Russia’s seventh seed Andrey Rublev also continued his unbeaten start to the year with a straight- sets win over German Yannick Hanfmann 6- 3, 6- 3, 6- 4.
‘ Not happy’
Women’s champion Kenin was less convincing and she audibly vented her frustrations during her 7- 5, 6- 4 against Australian Maddison Inglis, who is ranked outside the top 100.
“I’m obviously not happy with the way I played,” said Kenin, 22, who made 27 unforced errors on her return to Rod Laver Arena.
Two- time major winner Garbine Muguruza, who was stunned by Kenin in last year’s final, had little trouble beating Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan 6- 4, 6- 0.
But there were distressing scenes as an ailing Azarenka, the 2012 and 2013 champion, went out to Jessica Pegula on the second day of the coronavirus- delayed Grand Slam.
Azarenka, who was one of the players locked down in hard quarantine before the tournament and not allowed out of her room to train for 14 days, began to suffer in the second set.
The 2020 US Open runnerup, who only played one warmup match last week, was seen gasping and using an inhaler, and then looked close to collapse on court. After a medical timeout she played on but lost 7- 5, 6- 4.
Elsewhere fifth seed Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine was pushed hard by Czech Marie Bouzkouva before coming through 6- 3, 7- 5 ( 7/ 5).
And 16- year- old American Coco Gauff, who beat Venus Williams and Naomi Osaka en route to last year’s round of 16, had a straightforward 6- 3, 6- 2 win over Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann.
Women’s world No. 1 Ash Barty was to open the night session on Rod Laver Arena as she aims to become the first Australian women’s champion since Chris O’Neil in 1978.
Barty, fresh from winning the Yarra Valley Classic final against Muguruza on Sunday, plays Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic.
The year’s first Grand Slam has started three weeks late because of coronavirus problems, with players and officials required to quarantine for two months after arriving in Australia.
Crowds are limited, masks are mandatory and movement is curbed around Melbourne Park, where Monday’s attendance was 17,922, compared with 64,387 on day one in 2020.
Liverpool’s Premier League title defense is in tatters after a 4- 1 humbling at home by Manchester City, with Juergen Klopp facing an uphill task to stop the champions’ season imploding.
The bedraggled red- shirted players trudged off the pitch at Anfield on Sunday after their third consecutive home defeat left them 10 points behind Pep Guardiola’s men, having played a game more.
Keeper Alisson Becker made two costly blunders after Mohamed Salah had canceled out Ilkay Gundogan’s opener, before Phil Foden blasted home a fourth at an empty Anfield. It means after a run of 68 league games unbeaten at home, the Reds have now lost three consecutive league games at Anfield for the first time since 1963.
Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane, now a pundit, gave a withering assessment of Liverpool’s efforts to retain their title.
“They are making a lot of excuses,” said Keane, who won the Premier League seven times at Old Trafford. “You can lose a game of football but there is a way to get beaten.”
A stubborn Klopp defended his side’s performance up until Alisson’s first error allowed Gundogan to restore City’s lead 17 minutes from time, with his second of the match.
“We scored our goal and in that moment it was possible the game goes in our direction, but Alisson made two massive mistakes,” said Klopp. “Apart from that the game ends 1- 1. The performance was good enough at least to draw.”
Liverpool collapse
The figures make grim reading for the Liverpool hierarchy. After 23 games this season, Liverpool have 40 points – 27 fewer points than they did at the same stage last season.
That is the biggest drop by any reigning champion at this stage of a campaign in English top- flight history.
Despite his upbeat words, Klopp knows he has a monumental task on his hands to repair the shattered confidence of a team who just months ago romped to their first English top- flight title for 30 years.
Instead of the title, which now appears to be City’s to lose, Liverpool are glancing nervously over their shoulder as the race for Champions League qualification becomes their priority.
Chelsea and West Ham are only a point behind, with Everton, who have two matches in hand, just three back. Tottenham and Aston Villa are also within striking distance.
Liverpool have a few days off this week to regroup as they are not involved in FA Cup action but they then face a tricky trip to third- placed Leicester before a Merseyside derby at Anfield against high- flying Everton.
In between those matches they travel to Hungary for a Champions League match against RB Leipzig, second in the Bundesliga, after the game was moved from Germany.
So what has gone so wrong at Anfield for a side that topped the Premier League table just last month? Liverpool’s problems at the back are well- documented. Defensive talisman Virgil van Dijk has been out of action since October and has been joined on the long- term absentee list by Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.
That has forced Klopp to rejig his team, playing Jordan Henderson at the back, depriving the team of the captain’s drive from midfield.
Klopp signed two center backs – Preston’s Ben Davies and Schalke’s Ozan Kabak – on transfer deadline day and he must surely blood one of them now.
Even Liverpool’s fearsome front three are not firing on all cylinders. Salah still tops the Premier League goal- scoring charts, with 16 goals this season, but Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have managed just 13 between them.
But the biggest problem is recapturing the swagger and belief that made Liverpool an unstoppable force last season – without the support of the vocal Anfield crowd.