(Tennis news) Despite Rafael Nadal being far from his vintage best, the 22 time Grand Slam winner secured a 7-5 2-6 6-4 6-1 victory over Britain’s Jack Draper in the opening round of the Australian Open. The Spaniard had a staggering 45 unforced errors while his 21 year old opponent experienced pain in his leg, allowing Nadal to close the game at the Rod Laver Arena. Nadal was broken in the first game of the final set but then went on to win six consecutive games to claim the match.

“If we put in perspective all the situations I went through the last six months, it has been a very positive start. I played against one of the toughest opponents possible in the first round. He’s young, he has the power and I think he has a great future in front (of him).” – Rafael Nadal in the post match interview

Nadal was uncharacteristically making mistakes while Draper played his usual game and could have been 6-0. The Spaniard had previously admitted that his form heading into the Australian Open made him feel vulnerable but showed great assertiveness in this match while Draper couldn’t manage to maintain the same physical intensity as the game went on. Nadal got the break after a double fault by Draper to make it 3-1 but then produced a few errors to allow Draper to get back into the game at 4-2.

Draper struggled to keep the pressure, managing to save only one set point with an ace in the 10th game but his backhand went wide on the second. The 21 year old took an extended break to change his outfit and went on to break Nadal’s serve in the opening game of the fourth set, but the defending champion then stepped up. Unfortunately for Draper, he began to cramp up again during a long point in the fourth game, which played a big factor in his eventual defeat.

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