Nadal’s Barcelona Open hopes ended by in-form De Minaur
Rafael Nadal’s latest comeback bid came to an end as he was well beaten 7-5 6-1 by fourth seed Alex de Minaur at the Barcelona Open.
The 37-year-old was playing just his second tournament in 15 months after suffering another hip problem at his comeback event in Brisbane in January.
And having intimated that this will be his final year before retirement, Nadal’s defeat was likely to mark his final appearance at a tournament he has won 12 times.
Having overcome Italian Flavio Cobolli in the opening round, Nadal faced a much sterner test against the in-form De min au rand was sent scamperingaround the court in a tight opening set which was edged by the Australian.
De Minaur went on to step up a gear, securing a double break over the Spaniard and racing over the line behind a strong service game on which he did not drop a single point in the second set.
Despite the defeat, Nadal was happy he had the chance to say farewell to the event.
“At least, how things went, for me I had the chance to say goodbye here on court,” he said. “That means a lot to me, because I probably felt one week ago that I was not able to play in this event. That would have been painful, so at least I played, I enjoyed the game, and now is the moment to keep going.
“I didn’t practise a lot, so that [performance] encourages me to keep going. It tells me that, if I’m able to spend days on the Tour and keep practising with the players, I really hope and believe that I can keep being competitive. If my body allows me to push the way that I need.
“I hope to be competitive. I hope and believe I can be competitive in a few weeks. That’s the way that I need to proceed today, and to give me a chance to be ready at least to compete at Roland Garros.”
Jack Draper made the most of a rain delay to defeat wild card Rudolf Molleker and reach the quarter-finals of the BMW Open in Munich.
German Molleker, ranked 179th, had been the better player in the first set but a brief stoppage ahead of the second set changed the momentum of the contest. Draper began to assert his powerful game after the resumption and lost only two more games, pulling away to claim a 4-6 6-1 6-1 victory.
In the last eight the British No 2, who is ranked 46th, will take on either third seed Taylor Fritz or Spanish qualifier Alejandro Moro Canas.
Meanwhile, andy murray has been named on the entry list for the French Open which starts on May 26, but Emma Ra du ca nu is not yet assured of a place in the draw at Roland Garros.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Murray, 36, is hopeful of returning to the court soon after rupturing ankle ligaments at the Miami Open last month.
Despite being side lined for the last eight months of 2023, Raducanu has a protected ranking of 103 and is the fifth alternate. If the 2021 US Open champion does not make the main draw because of withdrawals, she will need a wildcard or to come through qualifying.
Fellow Britons Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart have direct entry into the main draw along with Jodie Burrage, although the British No 3 is unlikely to play following wrist surgery last month.
Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans and Draper are also on the men’s entry list.