“He’s special in my life and my career,” Alex de Minaur cannot fathom Rafael Nadal’s declining form and eventual retirement as he struggles to keep up after beating the Spanish ace in Barcelona

De Minaur finds it hard to accept that the tennis legend would soon retire from the sport where he ruled and set benchmarks.

“He’s special in my life and my career,” Alex de Minaur cannot fathom Rafael Nadal’s declining form and eventual retirement as he struggles to keep up after beating the Spanish ace in Barcelona

Alex de Minaur, Rafael Nadal (Images via Imago)

Rafael Nadal faced a shock defeat to Australia’s Alex de Minaur, but it was anticipated as he made his comeback at the Barcelona Open. The Spaniard, though he did not struggle much during the match, lost by a scoreline of 7-5, 6-1.

That Nadal might have played his last match at the Barcelona Open is what the tennis fraternity is thinking about. He will turn 38 in June, and this year may turn out to be his last one.

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De Minaur finds it hard to accept that the tennis legend would soon retire from the sport where he ruled and set benchmarks. After defeating the King of Clay, de Minaur told Punto de Break that, like many players of his generation, he finds the Spaniard an inspiration and a special one in his life.

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Like every tennis player, and especially of my generation, the values that Rafa has had on the court have been the ideals, the ones that they tell you to copy from a very young age: the attitude he has in each match, the mental strength, the determination, it's something we've all seen and the plan is to be as close to him as possible, which is never easy. He is special in my life and in my career, as well as in the world of tennis.
Alex de Minaur told Punto de Break

Fans lauded Alex de Minaur’s gesture after beating Rafael Nadal

Alex de Minaur did what no Australian ever did. Before him, no one from his country defeated Rafael Nadal on clay.

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (Image via Imago)

Though Nadal was not at his best during the match, de Minaur started brightly, and a strong performance ensured he made history.

However, after the match, instead of celebrating his win over the King of Clay, the 25-year-old started applauding along with the crowd on the Pista Rafa Nadal court. The tennis fraternity praised this class act by Aussie.

Watch the video here:

With declining form, Nadal is still a force on his favorite surface. He is aiming to compete at the Madrid Open, but these matches are only going to help him prepare better before Roland Garros, where he won 14 titles.

After beating Nadal, de Minaur faced Arthur Fils in the Round of 16. De Minaur previously participated at the Monte Carlo Masters, but World No. 1 Novak Djokovic ended his run. The Australian youngster has won one title this year, at the Mexican Open, where he beat Casper Ruud in straight sets.

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