Exclusive: Rafael Nadal describes 'funny situation' with ball kid taking away his racquet at Australian Open
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Published 16/01/2023 at 09:24 GMT
It was a comical moment, and now Rafael Nadal has been able to laugh about it. The Spaniard found himself without the racquet he wanted to play with midway through the opening set in his victory over Britain's Jack Draper in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday after a ball kid accidentally took the wrong one to the stringer. He has spoken to Eurosport about the incident.
'I don't think it was a bad match at all' - Nadal talks to Eurosport about beating Draper
Rafael Nadal has explained to Eurosport's Barbara Schett exactly what happened when a ball kid took his racquet away to the stringer when he needed it at the Australian Open on Monday.
The top seed and defending champion won through to the second round after a 7-5 2-6 6-4 6-1 victory over British rising star Jack Draper at Melbourne Park, but there was a comical moment early on that Schett had to ask him about.
Nadal was left without the racquet he wanted to use in the opening set after a ball kid took the wrong one to the stringer to be repaired. It all amounted to some entertaining exchanges on Rod Laver Arena as he attempted to get it back.
After it occurred to him that he had been left without the right racquet at the changeover with the score 4-3 in his favour in the opening set, Nadal was left amused but also pretty flustered.
He gave his perspective on the events in his post-match interview with Eurosport.
"Not distracting, just a funny situation!" he told Schett with a smile.
"Normally, I have the numbers of the racquet under control, so I said ‘I need the stringer’ - but I needed the stringer to look at the other racquets.
"So he [the ball kid] picked up my racquet I was ready to play [with]. But okay, he took it and no problem at all!"
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Watch bizarre moment Nadal can't find his favourite racquet during match
Ultimately, it did not affect the Spaniard too much, and he was happy with how he performed given he had fitness doubts over the off-season in advance of the first Grand Slam of the season.
"Well, if you put into perspective how we arrived here with a lot of injuries in the last six months, then coming back it hasn’t been easy with losses on the road, I don't think it was a bad match at all," he said.
"When you put everything into perspective, I had a very tricky opponent in the first round. I knew before the match that the doubts were going to be there, that there will be ups and downs in the match.
"So the other thing that I said to myself was ‘okay, I know that’s going to happen because I need victories to avoid that'.
"I need to accept that, to stay with the right attitude, and it happened in the second [set, which Draper won] and it happened in the fourth at the beginning, but that’s part of the business now."
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Nadal beats Draper in four sets to begin defence of his Australian Open title
Nadal then spoke about when he sensed his opportunity as Draper's conditioning failed him with cramps and muscle stiffness.
"In the fourth, I saw I had an advantage, but you know, when you’re in a winning mood you are less worried because, at the end, things are going your way normally when you’re in the situation you have been and I am now," he said.
"You need to fight more for things and it's not a problem for me, I am humble enough to accept that and I know that the most important thing from today was the victory.
"Winning against Jack [Draper], I needed to do things well, of course. It wasn't perfect, but I am able to play one more time with a victory on my shoulders now so that’s going to help, without a doubt."
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Stream the 2023 Australian Open live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.co.uk
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