Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal expects “another very tough match” when he takes on Alex de Minaur on Monday night at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney.
Nadal’s battle against De Minaur is the first of Spain’s tie against Australia, with both nations copping a defeat in their first series of the United Cup.
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The World No. 2 copped a shock loss to Brit Cameron Norrie in his first match on Australian soil for the season, going down in three sets having won the first.
But Nadal won’t take his Aussie adversary lightly as he looks to find form ahead of a big summer.
“He’s (De Minaur) a great player,” Nadal said.
“Playing super fast. Playing with very high intensity. Taking the ball very early. Improved the serve.
“Going to be another tough match that I need to play very well in to have any chance. So let’s see.”
As for De Minaur, he too is looking to notch his first victory at the United Cup having lost 6-3, 6-3 to Norrie in his opener.
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Britain dominate Australia in United Cup | 01:40
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And to do it, he’ll have to beat an opponent he has failed to overcome in three attempts.
“It’s a great opportunity,” De Minaur said.
“I’ve got two great matches. Norrie and Nadal. It’s a great test for me.
“I’m excited to put myself out there. It’s going to be great to play on home ground.”
The duo first faced off at Wimbledon in 2018, when Nadal cruised to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win.
Although the Spaniard would go on to win their next two encounters, the last time they went toe-to-toe was back in January 2020.
De Minaur’s battle with Nadal will be followed by fellow Aussie Maddison Inglis up against Nuria Parrizas Diaz.
UNITED CUP: Day 5 Order of play (all times AEDT)
Sydney, Ken Rosewall Arena
United States (1-0) vs. Germany (0-1) (Group C)
Taylor Fritz (USA) vs. Alexander Zverev (GER), 12 noon
Madison Keys (USA) vs. Jule Niemeier (GER), to follow
Spain (0-1) vs. Australia (0-1) (Group D)
Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Alex de Minaur (AUS), 7 p.m.
Nuria Parrizas Diaz (ESP) vs. Maddison Inglis (AUS), to follow
Perth, RAC Arena
Greece (1-0) vs. Belgium (0-1) (Group A)
Despina Papamichail (GRE) vs. Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL), 12 noon
Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. David Goffin (BEL), to follow
France (1-0) vs. Croatia (1-0) (Group F)
Alize Cornet (FRA) vs. Donna Vekic (CRO), 6 p.m.
Arthur Rinderknech (FRA) vs. Borna Coric (CRO), to follow
Brisbane, Pat Rafter Arena
Italy (1-0) vs. Norway (0-1) (Group E)
Martina Trevisan (ITA) vs. Malene Helgo (NOR), 1 p.m.
Lorenzo Musetti (ITA) vs. Viktor Durasovic (NOR), to follow
Poland (1-0) vs. Switzerland (1-0) (Group B)
Iga Swiatek (POL) vs. Belinda Bencic (SWI), 7 p.m.
Daniel Michalski (POL) vs. Marc-Andrea Huesler (SWI), to follow
ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL: Order of play (all times AEDT)
Centre Court
Daria Kasatkina (3) vs Linda Noskova, 11:30am
Amanda Anisimova vs Veronika Kudermetova (4)
Alexei Popyrin (AUS) vs Felix Auger-Aliassime (2), not before 3pm
Elena Rybakina vs Danielle Collins (5), not before 7pm
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) vs Maxime Cressy, not before 8:30pm
Showcourt 1
Miomir Kecmanovic vs Christoper O’Connell (AUS), 11:30am
Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil vs Tomislav Brkic and Gonzalo Escobar
Holger Rune (5) vs Yoshihito Nishoka
Jaimee Fourlis (AUS) vs Marta Kostyuk
Shuai Zhang vs Liudmila Samsonova
Showcourt 2
Irina-Camelia Begu vs Shelby Rogers, 11:30am
Jordan Thompson (AUS) vs Quentin Halys
Mikael Ymer vs Roman Safiullin
Soonwoo Kwon vs Jack Draper
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