Rafael Nadal trains in Adelaide ahead of new season

World no. 2 Rafael Nadal hasn't informed his fans about a lot of stuff since arriving in Adelaide, serving his two-week quarantine ahead of the Melbourne trip. The Spaniard had a quiet previous week, and we couldn't see pictures of videos of him from the court or balcony. Recently, we saw a video of Nadal's practice sessions, showing the 20-time Major champion in full swing under a boiling Aussie sun. Rafa should train with Jannik Sinner next week, and they are supposed to play an exhibition match with Dominic Thiem and Novak Djokovic on January 29, before they all head to Melbourne. Nadal will lead Spain at the ATP Cup for the second straight year in the first week of February, hoping for a strong start of the season and a chance to fight for the title they lost to Serbia a year ago. Spain will face Australia and Greece in Group B, with Nadal playing against the young guns Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur, against whom he played an epic match in Sydney a year ago.

After the ATP Cup, Nadal will seek the 21st Major crown at the Australian Open, staying empty-handed at the season's first Major event since 2009. Rafa lost four more title matches after that in 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2019, suffering that terrible loos to Novak Djokovic two years ago in his worst Major final performance. Twelve months ago, Rafa lost a tight quarter-final Melbourne encounter to Dominic Thiem 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 in four hours and ten minutes, wasting his opportunities and missing a chance to reach the semis.

Rafael Nadal is serving a two-week quarantine in Adelaide.

Rafa claimed the 85th ATP title in Acapulco at the end of February and spent the next six and a half months at home in Mallorca following the coronavirus outbreak. Returning to action in Rome, Nadal suffered the quarter-final defeat against Diego Schwartzman before bouncing back at Roland Garros to lift the 13th Parisian trophy! Standing above all the rivals and challenging conditions in the French capital in October, Rafa defeated all seven rivals in straight sets and earned the 20th Major title to match Roger Federer. By the end of the season, Nadal lost in the semi-final at the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals, finishing the year inside the top-2 and hoping for more of the same in 2021.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/39ZyXin