Leigh Powell
The Guardian
June 9, 2024
Rafael Nadal, the newly-crowned French Open champion, crashed to earth and a first-round defeat in the Halle Open yesterday, losing to the wild-card entry Alexander Waske, but later vowed to be ready for Wimbledon.
Three days after clinching his first grand slam, the visibly tired 19-year-old was out-fought by the hard-serving German 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, having arrived in Germany on Monday and had one day to make the transition from clay to grass.
It was Nadal's first defeat in 26 matches, but the new world No3 remained upbeat about his prospects at the All England Club. "I don't think I will lose any confidence because I was very confident before Roland Garros," Nadal said. "I will definitely be prepared for Wimbledon. Today I just couldn't keep up my concentration."
The Spaniard will travel to London next week after spending some time with his family at home. "I am going to Mallorca and there will be two days completely without tennis," he said. "I am feeling a bit tired right now and then I will be preparing for Wimbledon."
He said he planned to work on his serve and would try to adapt his game to the faster surface. "The problem is that I have played so little on grass. And my fitness, which is very important in tennis, is not in a great state right now. At least I got a feel for the surface and I'm the kind of player who learns from those matches."
Nadal had looked full of energy in the opening set, mixing powerful drives with delicate volleys, drop-shots and lobs against an error-prone Waske. But the German, who has played only two ATP tournaments this year, losing in both at the first hurdle, came back strongly.
"Rafael Nadal has just turned 19 and I think he has a great future ahead of him," Waske said. "He will definitely be giving spectators a lot of pleasure in the years to come."
If Nadal had reached the semi-finals of the Halle event, he would have faced the world No1 Roger Federer, whom he beat at the same stage in the French Open.
The second seed Marat Safin saved a match point against Fabrice Santoro before a thigh injury forced the Frenchman to retire. Having lost the first set 6-3, the Russian found himself 6-5 down in a second-set tie-break before prevailing 9-7. When he broke his opponent's serve to lead 3-2 in the third, Santoro threw in the towel.
The Australian Open champion then insisted he would try to play Wimbledon despite a nagging knee injury. "I hope to continue this tournament and then see a doctor on Monday. Hopefully he can fix it for London," he said.
**Please do not reproduce without giving credit to the original source and VamosRafael.com.**
Return to VamosRafael.com.
Return to VamosRafael.com Articles
.