Nadal wary of threat of rising Brit, Jack Draper to open Australian Open: "Young, powerful, growing very, very fast on the ranking"

Rafael Nadal will face Jack Draper in the first round of the Australian Open and he's aware of what kind of danger will loom from the other side of the net.

Draper has played some great tennis over the past couple of months and it continued in 2023. The British player has a good serve and a pretty nasty lefty forehand that will give Nadal headaches. There is also the age factor that might come into play if the match stretches into a 4th or possibly 5th set.

Speaking ahead of the event, Nadal admitted that it's a tough one:

"Of course, probably one of the toughest first rounds possible, being seeded,. Young, powerful, growing very, very fast on the ranking, playing well."

Despite the difficulty, Nadal is not too worried as he's in Melbourne to give himself a chance to win. He'll live with whatever the end result ends up being:

"Probably, yeah, a big challenge for me at the beginning to start the tournament. Let's see. I'm here to just give myself a chance. I know he's playing well. He has a lot of positive things, and probably a great career in front."