"It's a special week for me" says Nadal after another win in Melbourne

Rafael Nadal defeated Karen Khachanov to book a spot in the 4th round of the Australian Open and the Spaniard was very happy with the result.

Prior to January, Nadal had not competed in a tour-level event since Washington in August due to a foot injury. But the sixth seed is playing as if he has never been away, with his victory over Khachanov extending his perfect 2022 record to 6-0. On all of that, he said:

“It is a very special week for me, coming back. Every single time I am able to play here is very special. Tonight I played against a great player and a good friend on Tour. It was my best match since I have come back without a doubt.”

It was a very vintage performance from Nadal who racked up 39 winners to 30 errors in the endeavour. Winning meant a lot to him as he admitted to dealing with a lot of tough things in the past year:

“I have gone through some very tough times over the past year. But nights like tonight mean everything. I keep fighting and going every day. I put a lot of effort in to be back with where I am today, so I am happy.”