Three missed match points and a shaky start at the Australian Open. Nadal still jumps 220 places on the ATP rankings

The return of the Rafael Nadal to the courts brought several interesting circumstances. Nadal certainly didn’t disappoint, but it’s not even clear if he will continue his journey at the Australian Open. What is troubling him and what historic feat did he manage to surpass this week?

Nadal did not disappoint in Brisbane

There were high expectations for his comeback. But Nadal didn’t set his sights high. After a one-year break, he wanted to prove in Brisbane that he was competitive at this level and that his body could withstand top-level tennis.

It worked out about halfway. Carlos Moya’s protégé certainly didn’t disappoint in his opening event of the season. He brought two matches to a winning end, only to stumble against the home team’s Jordan Thompson.

The player from the top six of the rankings was pulling the short end of the stick for a long time. Nadal won the first set and during the second set he gradually created three match points. Two of them were available in the shortened game, but he did not use any of them and fell in the second set and the whole match.

Health first

The question of the readiness of the Spaniard’s body was a frequent topic of reflection among tennis experts and fans. And it is the health problems that are the main issue for Nadal even after losing the match with Thompson.

In fact, in the final set Nadal had himself treated and admitted after the match that his problems were similar to those of a year ago. However, he believes they won’t be nearly as serious.

Whether it is marginal, however, is certainly not yet clear. The participation of the king of clay in the Australian Open, which starts in a week, is not yet certain.

“I hope I will be able to train and play in Melbourne next week,” Nadal said on the question of his participation in the opening Grand Slam of the season. The next few days and how the 37-year-old will feel will decide.

In conclusion ..

Nadal’s comeback was certainly not a failure. After all, the Spaniard also rewrote the historical rankings. Who will be lucky enough to do it after a year off? It is also certain that he will move up more than 220 places, although he is still in the basement of the ATP rankings by his standards.

The returns of Nadal and Cilic offer a very interesting connection. Both of them, on their return to the courts, fell out in a match in which they had a large number of match points. Only tennis can provide such stories. Let’s look forward to seeing how Nadal’s continues.

Source: ATP, Eurosport