Nadal moves on in Melbourne after Griekspoor withdraws from the match

It was supposed to be a very interesting affair in Melbourne between Nadal and Griekspoor as the match had several interesting implications. The Dutch player has a 28-match active winning streak that would have been on the line against Nadal but this way it remains active. Griekspoort finished off the 2021 year in tremendous fashion on the challenger tour allowing him to enter the top 100 for the first time in his career.

For Nadal, missing a match is less than ideal because the Spaniard really needs matches to build up his confidence and match shape ahead of the Australian Open where he will have a chance to win it, especially if Djokovic ends up not playing. Greikspoor lamented on his official Twitter about missing the match writing:

"These are the matches you play for Pleading face Sad to pull out with a foot injury. Trying everything to be healthy for AO in 10 days time!"

Whether Griekspoor recovers in time for the Australian Open remains to be seen but for Nadal, the win pushed him into the semifinals where he will have a chance to secure his first final in a while.