CNN
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It wasn’t all plain crusing for Rafael Nadal in his first-round victory on the Australian Open on Monday.
Halfway by the primary set towards Britain’s Jack Draper, the 22-time grand slam winner stood along with his arms unfold as defined to the umpire that he was in search of his racket.
“It’s this one for the stringer, not that one,” Nadal might be heard explaining to the umpire.
“I would like the racquet again! It’s this not one. I would like the dampener and every thing,” added the Spaniard, referring to the small rubber machine which tennis gamers place between the strings to reduce the impression once they hit photographs.
Because it turned out, the ball boy had taken Nadal’s racket with the dampener to the stringer.
“I don’t assume he has a spare one, so I feel there’s going to be a delay right here,” defined Eurosport commentator Man McCrea.
After deciding on a distinct racket, Nadal apologized to Draper saying: “The ball boy took my racquet!”
After the match, Nadal described the racket snafu as a “humorous state of affairs.”
“Usually, I’ve the variety of the rackets below management so I stated I would like the stringer, however I would like the stringer for the opposite racket,” Nadal defined, per Eurosport.
“So [the ball boy] picked the racket I used to be able to play with. However no downside in any respect.”
Later within the match, Nadal had one other dialog with the umpire when the floodlights appeared to modify on routinely, regardless of the match being performed in daylight.
“Now it’s bothering me quite a bit,” Nadal stated to the umpire whereas pointing as much as the floodlights. “The mix of lights.”
Draper was additionally sad, with the umpire calling stadium employees to repair the state of affairs.
Nadal wanted 4 units to beat the 21-year-old Draper.
The Briton took the second set off the 36-year-old to degree match however then suffered cramps as the sport developed, with Nadal finally successful 7-5 2-6 6-4 6-1.
Nadal’s victory continues a run of 26 years for the reason that final time a defending champion had fallen within the Australian Open’s opening spherical.
“Final 12 months had been one of the crucial emotional tournaments of my tennis profession, little doubt about that,” stated Nadal, who beat Daniil Medvedev 2-6 6-7 6-4 6-4 7-5 in final 12 months’s Australian Open last having misplaced the primary two units. “Sadly that handed, so we have to hold working.
“I’m tremendous completely happy to be again right here in Australia yet another time. I don’t know, it’s like my nineteenth season on the skilled tour.
“I’m very enthusiastic about this new starting… The final couple of months haven’t been straightforward for me, however hopefully this victory will assist me.”
The Australian Open’s prime seed will now face American Mackenzie McDonald within the second spherical.
