Rafa Nadal said losing two straight matches was hardly the ideal preparation for his Australian Open title defense, but the world number two believes he had no reason to feel alarmed ahead of the season’s first Grand Slam starting in two weeks.
Following an injury-ravaged 2022, Nadal lost his United Cup mixed team event opener to Briton Cameron Norrie last week. Spain’s 22-times Grand Slam champion then fell to Australian Alex de Minaur, who claimed a 3–6 6–1 7–5 win on Monday.
