Rafa Nadal’s bid for a record 13th Barcelona Open title came to an end on Wednesday as he suffered a second-round defeat to Australian fourth seed Alex de Minaur.
Nadal, playing his first tournament since January, had started with a win over Flavio Cobolli on Tuesday, but he couldn’t keep up with the in-form De Minaur.
Reflecting on the match, Nadal acknowledged De Minaur’s superior form, stating, “Alex played outstanding tennis today.”
De Minaur took control early, breaking in the opening game, and although Nadal fought back to level at 3-3, De Minaur secured the crucial break to claim the first set and cruised to victory in the second.
Despite Nadal’s pedigree as a 22-time Grand Slam champion, he struggled to make an impact on De Minaur’s serve, winning just two points in the second set.
