Alex de Minaur could achieve clay feat only completed twice over Rafael Nadal with Madrid Open victory today

Australian tennis star Alex De Minaur is set to face hometown hero Rafael Nadal at the 2024 Madrid Open. The duo are set to clash in the second round, with De Minaur hoping to accomplish an impressive feat should he defeat the Spaniard.

This would be the second time the pair have met on clay this season. De Minaur prevailed in their earlier encounter at the Barcelona Open last week, although Nadal was coming off an injury layoff. however, the former World No.1 has had time to recuperate and regain his footing, setting up what could prove to be a more intriguing clash this weekend.

Victory for De Minaur would put him in elite company

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Defeating Nadal on clay is no small feat, but De Minaur could have extra motivation to secure a win over the Mallorcan. Should the Aussie star emerge victorious, then he will be just the third man to defeat Nadal multiple times on clay in the same season. Only Novak Djokovic and Fabio Fognini have accomplished this feat. The Serbian has in fact done it twice, in 2011 and 2015. Alternatively, Fognini defeated the Spaniard on the red dirt twice in 2015.