Only for the third time in his carer, the 20-time Major champion Rafael Nadal wasted two sets to love advantage against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Australian Open quarter-final.
Nadal was sailing towards the finish line following the opening two sets, forging a 6-3, 6-2 advantage before Stefanos recovered his game, barely losing a point on serve in the rest of the clash and prevailing in the third set's tie break to turn the tables around. Playing bold and aggressive tennis, Tsitsipas scored one break in each of sets four and five to complete the comeback and celebrate one of his most notable victories in a career.
Nadal lost the pace a bit with his groundstrokes as the match went on, especially in the fifth set when he barely stayed in touch with the younger opponent before suffering that late break. Ther six-time Major champion Boris Becker stated that he never saw Rafael Nadal looking that tired in the deciding set.
In Becker's opinion, Nadal has done an unbelievable job staying at the top for so many years considering his game style and the amount of energy required. Becker believes that things should become difficult for the Spaniard once he gets a step slower in the upcoming years, even at his beloved Roland Garros.
"The younger generations are not without hope when it comes to turning this situation around, and there was definitely some vulnerability in Nadal if we think forward to Paris. His five-set defeat by Stefanos Tsitsipas will sting for some time and could even be a factor at the French Open. For the first time I can recall, Rafa looked really tired in that fifth set; he was beaten physically, and the others have seen that.
The Spaniard's style is so physical that it is going to take a toll. I am actually surprised that he has played to this incredibly high level for so long. While it would be foolish to bet against him for Paris, he will not be the same player when he gets that little step slower," Boris Becker said.
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