Alex de Minaur made a late appearance in Malaga, changing his plans and joining the Australian squad for the Davis Cup Finals. As a reward for his Malaga trip after the ATP Finals, de Minaur got a chance to embrace one last training session with the 22-time Major winner, Rafael Nadal.
De Minaur and Nadal played six times within six years, with the Spaniard scoring four wins, including the most recent one. For Alex, their training session in Malaga was extra special, knowing it was Rafa's final tournament in a career. The Aussie also reflected on their duels on the Tour, feeling fortunate to share the court with a legend.
Rafa's final dance
Nadalcould not overcome a severe hip injury from last year's Australian Open.Rafa made a return in 2024, playing 20 matches and winning 12. However, he failed to achieve notable results on the most notable scene, including Roland Garros and the Olympic Games.
The Spaniard decided to end his career at the Davis Cup Finals, competing in the national jersey one last time. Nadal faced Botic van de Zandschulp and fell 6-4, 6-4. He felt well on the practice court but could not carry that pace to the official match despite trying his best.
They stayed in touch until 4-4 in the opening set before the Dutch player took charge. He tookthe first part of the duel with a late break and delivered another at the beginning of the second. Rafa fell 4-1 down before pulling one break back and boosting his chances.
However, van de Zandschulp served well in games eight and ten, sealing the deal and delivering Nadal's second Davis Cup loss, the first in over two decades.
Nadal vs. de Minaurrivalry
As we already said, Rafa embraced six duels against Alex since 2018. Their first encounter came at Wimbledon six years ago, with the more experienced player earning a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 triumph. They met again on the notable scene at the Australian Open in 2019, with Rafa mirroring the result from Wimbledon.
De Minaur pushed Nadal to the limits at the 2020 ATP Cup, playing well in the opening two sets before falling 4-6, 7-5, 6-1. Rafa made a late challenge in the second set and stormed over his rival in the decider to maintain a perfect score against him.
They did not play for three years, and their fourth duel came at the 2023 United Cup. The home favorite toppled the legend 3-6, 6-1, 7-5. celebrating his first victory over Nadal. The Aussie responded nicely to a slow start and sealed the deal with a late break in the decider.
Rafa missed the rest of the year after the Australian Open, and their final meetings came this spring on clay. De Minaur ousted the king of clay 7-5, 6-1 in Barcelona. Nadal played his first tournament in 100 days and had nothing left in the tank after a tight opener.
However, the legend stroke back in Madrid, ousting the Aussie 7-6, 6-3 in two hours and one minute in their sixth and final meeting. Nadal prevailed in a tight opener after nearly 80 minutesand delivered an early break in the second set that carried him over the top.
Rafa held at 15 in the first game of the encounter and welcomed a forehand error from his opponent in the next one for 2-0. De Minaur fought back and converted the third break chance in the third game with a forehand winner, erasing the deficit and returning to the positive side.
The home favorite struggled on serve in the seventh game, missing a volley and experiencing a break at love. Nadal pulled it back a few minutes later, leveling the score at 4-4. They served well in the remaining games and introduced a tie break.
Rafa created threeset points and squandered them for more drama! However, he fired a backhand crosscourt winner at 6-6 and seized the fourth opportunity after a forced error for a massive boost. The Spaniard grabbed an early break in the second set and held at 30 in the next one for 2-0.
Nadal held at love in the fourth game and climbed back from 0-30 two games later to remain in front after a backhand crosscourt winner. The veteran held at love in the eighth game for 5-3, keeping the pressure on the other side and making a push on the return in game nine.
Rafa fired a backhand crosscourt winner for two match points and converted the second after the rival's double fault. Thus, he defeated the Aussie for the fourth time in six encounters, closing their rivalry with a win.
"Training with Rafa in Malaga was a special moment. I have been fortunate enough to share the court with him a couple of times. However, at his retirement tournament, it's even more special. It felt nice to get one last hit with Rafa," Alex de Minaur said.
