Nadal sets bad milestone by losing first two matches of the season

| by Zachary Wimer

It's only been a few days in 2023, and Rafael Nadal has already set a new milestone; however, this one is not as good as the milestones that he usually sets.

Over the course of his illustrious career, the Spanish accomplished many wonderful things. He became the first man to win 22 Grand Slam titles, and he has won the Roland Garros 14 times, but 2023 got off to a rough start for him.

It was the first time in his career that he lost the opening two matches of the season. Obviously, after an injury-plagued 2022, Nadal still has a desire to compete and win matches, but this time, it wasn't meant to be.

Both of the matches he played were at the 2023 United Cup, and both were three-set losses. First, he took on Great Britain's Cameron Norrie, and despite a good start, he lost the match in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 4-6.

After that, the 36-year-old took on Australia's Alex de Minaur, who had the backing of the home crowd. Once again, Nadal was able to win the opening set, but lost the match in three sets 6-3, 1-6, 5-7.

Eugenie Bouchard explains why she withdrew from Auckland
Eugenie Bouchard explains why she withdrew from Auckland

Since he hasn't played in a while, Nadal appreciates the chance to play tennis against other players because it will help him get back in shape so he can compete in the Australian Open, where he will be the defending champion after his unexpected triumph in 2022.

In terms of his start of the 2023 season, he didn't play badly in either match and he actually won the first set in both however the lack of matches clearly showed towards the end of the match but he's working on it by playing matches regardless of the result.

Still, he will be one of the main favorites at the 2023 Australian Open, with his main rival, Novak Djokovic, returning to the event.

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