Relentless Rafa 💪 🇪🇸 @RafaelNadal drops just seven games to beat 🇦🇺 No. 1 Alex de Minaur in straight sets and reach the @AustralianOpen Round of 16. #AusOpen
Alex de Minaur confirms tactic for facing tennis legend Rafael Nadal: "You have to lose all the respect you have for him"
ATPThursday, 21 March 2024 at 01:30
Australian tennis star Alex de Minaur has stated that the only way to face a player like the former world number one Rafael Nadal is to treat him like another opponent.
The 37-year-old is often regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles.
De Minaur, who is now set to take part in the ATP 1000 event in Miami, was recently quoted in a report where he revealed that he had to treat Nadal as another player while playing him at Wimbledon in 2018.
“So much physicality, even on the grass, so I can only imagine on a clay court,” he said. “You have to lose all the respect you have for him and just play him as another player. His backhand cross is quite heavy, like a normal right-handed forehand in my eyes.
“The first time I hit with him, I was like, ‘What the hell?’ His backhand looks on TV a bit sloppy or slow, but it’s heavy, it’s crazy. The comparison now is Sinner.
“His two-handed backhand is almost like a forehand because he’s getting so much force and rotation on it as well, and that’s the same with Rafa on the other side.”
Nadal has recently returned from a lengthy injury layoff but has only managed to play in the Brisbane International. After that, he was ruled out of the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami Open due to fitness concerns.
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