# Sports

Nadal’s Cup of woes brims over with second defeat in a row

The Spanish megastar lost his first match of this season against Cameron Norrie and now lost his second match against Australia’s Alex de Minaur in three games as the hosts took a lead of 1-0 in their Group D encounter.

SNS | New Delhi | January 2, 2023 8:02 pm

Nadal’s Cup of woes brims over with second defeat in a row

The United Cup this season is not at all turning out to be good for the legendary player Rafael Nadal. His gloomy start to the season has continued as the World Number 2 was handed over his second consecutive defeat of the season by De Minaur.

The Spanish megastar lost his first match of this season against Cameron Norrie and now lost his second match against Australia’s Alex de Minaur in three games as the hosts took a lead of 1-0 in their Group D encounter.

The 23-year-old De Minaur fought back from a set and a break down to defeat Nadal 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 on Monday, turning in the most impressive performance of his career according to the ATP Ranking. The match lasted for two hours and 44 minutes.

While citing this win as his one of the best wins, De Minaur said “I think it’s definitely up there.” “It’s one of those achievements that you have unlocked in your career. But also, it’s a big win for me, one that I really needed. I’m gonna cherish and use, take all the confidence from this and be able to hopefully take it to have a good Aussie summer.

“It’s always a surreal experience playing here. Just walking out there and hearing the support I get on that court is pretty special. No secret [that] it is my favourite court to play on in front of friends and family. I’ve had so many great memories, and I’ve been able to add another one to it. I’m extremely stoked,” ATP Tour’s official website quoted De Minaur as saying.