Rafael Nadal knows better than most that tennis is a game of fine margins. Although he suffered a three-set loss to Milos Raonic in the Brisbane International quarter-finals Friday night, it could easily have been a straight-sets result in the Spaniard’s favour. After winning the first set 6-4, Nadal had two break chances in the fifth game of the second to go up a set and a break. But he was unable to convert either opportunity, or one additional chance in the third set, as Raonic powered home to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win, helped by 23 aces. Nadal, who suffered just his second loss in eight career FedEx ATP head2Head meetings with Raonic, had been chasing his 70th tour-level...
Rafa Nadal gives one young fan a thrill of a lifetime by hitting with him after a practice session at the Brisbane International. Video courtesy Tennis Australia.
Rafael Nadal will meet Milos Raonic on Friday for a place in the semi-finals of the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp. The pair has not met since the 2015 Shanghai Rolex Masters and Nadal leads 6-1 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Looking ahead to the Raonic match, Nadal said, “He’s one of the toughest opponents on tour today, without a doubt. He's the World No. 3. His serve is huge, and he improved a lot from the baseline, too. It's a match that you cannot do too many mistakes if you want to really have any chance. You need to be really focused with your serve and then try to play aggressively on the return. I am going to...
On Court 10 of the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp, the very same court he trained on during his first time at the tournament, Rafael Nadal practised on Wednesday afternoon, preparing for his second-round match against Mischa Zverev. In front of a packed crowd, the Spanish legend practised with Elias Ymer during a high-paced training session. “The feeling is really good,” Toni Nadal, Rafael's uncle and coach, explained to ATPWorldTour.com in Brisbane. “Yesterday he played at a great level against [Alexandr] Dolgopolov, a good opponent... So far, things are going pretty good for us.” After calling it a season after the Shanghai Rolex Masters in October because of pain in his left wrist, Rafael Nadal went to his hometown, Manacor,...
Watch highlights of Rafael Nadal's first-round win over Alexandr Dolgopolov at the 2017 Brisbane International presented by Suncorp. Video courtesy Tennis Australia. Video not available in Australia.