Nadal 'not unhappy' with preparation despite indifferent form going into Australian Open, discusses having son with him for first time

Rafael Nadal is okay with the way his Australian Open preparation went despite not being vastly different from last year when he ended up winning the event.

Nadal opened last year with a trophy down under and then added another huge one when he defeated Medvedev in the final. It took a long time for him to get defeated as he went undefeated until march. That looked very different this year as he lost his first match in the first week and it was actually the first match he played.

Speaking ahead of the Australian Open, Nadal admitted that the preparation didn't quite go the way he wanted but it's fine:

“It’s true that the last couple of tournaments I wasn’t able to play my standards and here at the beginning of the season I lost two matches in Sydney, but honestly, I am not unhappy with the preparation. I need to win matches for sure. But the preparation is going quite well, practising a lot and I think I am in good shape. Then you need to demonstrate that in the matches, in the official tournaments."

Nadal is in Australia with his family and it's been a great experience for the new dad. He briefly addressed it:

“It‘s about adapting to this new part of my life in all ways. You need a little bit more of organisation than before without a doubt. But it’s the first time that happens in my life. So I need some time to adjust all the things that are going to help me to stay the same as before, but I think I have all the things around me that help me to keep going without problems.”