Nadal demanded format change after 3-6 6-1 7-5 defeat to De Minaur, with the 22-time Slam winner saying dead ties mean he is ‘playing for nothing’
22-time Slam winner says dead ties mean ‘playing for nothing’
Unprompted, Nadal gave his opinions on the format following his three-set loss to Australian Alex de Minaur, part of a tie that means very little given Great Britain already progressed from the group after two wins.“Putting things in perspective this competition, I find a negative point,” the world No.2 said. “Competition is great. Idea is great. It’s not great that today we are playing for nothing.
Instead, the 23-year-old Australian was able to register his first-ever win over 22-time grand slam champion Nadal at the United Cup, downing the Spaniard 3-6 6-1 7-5. World No 2 Nadal started inauspiciously, going down an early break, only to reel off four straight games to snatch the first set. That momentum continued with another break to start the second set, only for the Sydney local to produce some of his own trademark grit and storm through the next six games.
Since pulling out of the Wimbledon semi-final of 2022 against Nick Kyrgios he has had four wins on tour from 11 starts.“I have two weeks before thestarts. I can’t say that the situation is ideal, but at the same time, I can’t say that it’s very negative, because for moments, I was playing good. I think that two matches is gonna help me. I need to win a couple of matches.”
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