RAFA NADAL waved goodbye to the Barcelona Open with his worst singles defeat for FIVE YEARS.
The Spaniard, 37, was crushed 7-5 6-1 by Alex de Minaur in the second round on a court that bears his name.
AFPRafael Nadal was beaten by Alex De Minaur[/caption]
AFPHe walked off the court that was named after him[/caption]
He has won this event a record 12 times, and the loyal crowd gave him a tremendous send-off as he packed up his bag after one hour and 51 minutes of action.
Results-wise, the six games won represent the fewest achieved by the former world No.1 since his 6-2 6-4 round-robin loss to Alex Zverev in London in November 2019.
Nadal, who has slumped to 644 in the world rankings, is building up fitness to make the main draw of the French Open in what is his final year as a professional tennis player.
Sydney star De Minaur, 25, is the first Australian to beat Nadal on his favourite surface.
Told that he is probably the most unpopular person in Barcelona, world No.11 De Minaur responded: “I can say I’m very, very fortunate I didn’t play Rafa a couple years earlier on clay.
“It would’ve been a very, very different result.
“Thank you to Rafa. He’s a legend. It was unforgettable to play against Rafa on his court.”
Despite the defeat, Nadal is aiming to take a “step forward” at Roland Garros next month.
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He said: “I am leaving convinced that I have taken a step forward, it was not today where I had to be well, where I had to leave everything and die for it.
“I have to give myself the option to do this in a few weeks, at least try.
“If I had died at a general level today, I would never have the opportunity to do so in a few weeks, so I have to play according to the objective I have.
“I have to measure according to how I feel, so I will play in Madrid according to this factor. If my body responds and I accumulate good training, I will be able to take a step forward in Madrid.
“If my body is capable of assimilating the loads progressively, that has to help me to demand more and more from it, but I don’t know.
“On a logical level, the idea is to progress, but I’m not talking about winning games, but rather at the level of fighting for things.
“In Madrid, do a little better, in Rome a little more… and in Paris let it be whatever God wants. That’s the time to try it.”
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