Rafael Nadal shares practice court with Carlos Alcaraz ahead of the Australian Open

World no. 2 Rafael Nadal should be fine for the upcoming Australian Open that starts on Monday. Unlike 2020, Nadal couldn't lead his country at the ATP Cup, skipping all three ties against Australia, Greece and Italy (potential clashes against Alex de Minaur, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini) due to a minor back injury. Rafa didn't want to risk anything ahead of the season's first Major, staying away from the official matches and embracing practice sessions to shape his game. Nadal spent the opening two weeks of the Aussie swing in Adelaide, training along and with Jannik Sinner during the quarantine and playing a competitive match against Dominic Thiem at A Day at the Drive on January 29. The Spaniard beat the Austrian 7-5, 6-4 after a solid display, hoping for more at the ATP Cup and seeking the title he lost a year ago following a defeat to Novak Djokovic.

Still, Rafa experienced a little setback with that minor back issue, prolonging his official debut and working hard to get ready for the Australian Open. On Saturday, Nadal shared the practice court with the young compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, the most prominent Spanish prospect at the moment. Still 17, Carlos qualified for the Australian Open in January and will be the youngest player in the draw next week. Following the season restart last August, Carlos was the player to beat on the Challenger Tour, winning 20 out of 24 matches by the end of the year and celebrating trophies in Trieste, Barcelona and Alicante.

Rafael Nadal trained in Melbourne with Carlos Alcaraz.

The super talented player who works with Juan Carlos Ferrero wrote history at the ATP 250 Great Ocean Road Open in Melbourne, beating the top seed David Goffin 6-3, 6-3 to enter the third round. Thus, Carlos became the youngest player since Richard Gasquet in Buenos Aires 2004 with the top-15 victory under his belt. A teenager had a chance to learn a lot from his experienced compatriot, who will try to write the record books and claim the 21st Major trophy and leave Roger Federer on 20. Nadal couldn't go all the way in Melbourne after 2009, losing four finals to Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer between 2012-2019.

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