When the world's first Djokovic was trapped in the whirlpool of public opinion due to the vaccine exemption incident, Nadal, who is also the 20th Grand Slam champion, is already actively preparing for the 2022 Australian Open and recently won the first victory of the new season.
On January 6, Beijing time, the top seed of the tournament, Nadal, in the first leg of the 2022 ATP250 Melbourne Series, took only 1 hour and 31 minutes to defeat qualifier Birankis 6-2, 7-5, locking up his first singles victory in the 2022 season.
It is worth mentioning that this is the spaniard's second victory on the Tour after 154 days since losing to South African player Harris in the third round of the Washington tournament on August 5 last year.
In August last year, the Spaniard chose to retire due to a foot injury, and did not return until the Abu Dhabi exhibition tournament at the end of last year.
"In the last period of time, I have had some tough moments because of injuries. But overall, I'm happy to be back in the game. "Of course, it's important to start the new season with a win and it gives me the chance to play again tomorrow. ”
After reviewing the match, Nadal started well and quickly won the first set 6-2, and then in the second set, with the advantage of one more break set, he quickly established a 2-0 lead. But then, Birankis began to counterattack, and the two sides fought until they were 5-5 draws.
In the crucial second set of the 11th set, the experienced Nadal improved his form, breaking the opponent's serve while finally winning the game 7-5.
According to statistics, in the whole game, Nadal's winning points and unforced errors were equal, all 18. In terms of break efficiency, 8 break points were obtained and 5 of them were successfully cashed in.
For the veteran, who is over 35 years old, it is happy to win the New Year's opening, but most importantly, he is currently feeling very healthy after recovering from the new crown infection.
"The most important thing is good health, which is probably the only thing that matters at the moment," he said, "and the only thing I need to do is stick to the right strategy, be patient, and keep winning games." However, sometimes it is frustrating to stagnate and not see your progress. So next, I just want to enjoy the fun that tennis brings. ”
Nadal's victory over world-ranked 104th-placed Birangis is his 40th consecutive win over players outside the 50th place, with his last loss to a player outside the 50th place going back to the second round of the 2019 Acapulco tournament, when he lost to 72nd-ranked Kyrgios.
In Friday's quarter-finals, Nadal will be waiting for 65th-ranked Gerixpool. (Source: Tennis House Author: Wu Li Fun)