World No. 2 ranked Rafael Nadal was dealt with a disappointing upset by his Greek counterpart in Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australian Open.
The defeat led to Nadal's early exit in the quarterfinals of the men's singles division in the ongoing Australian Open.
Nadal would definitely want to get that match back as he ultimately fell short in his bid to win the 21st Grand Slam men's singles title of his illustrious career. The win could've pushed Nadal past his longtime rival in Roger Federer for the most Grand Slam crowns in history.
“Another story in my tennis career, another match I lost in Australia,” Rafael Nadal said about his Australian Open loss via New York Times. “I have to go home and practice to be better. That’s it.”
“There are going to be matches you lose like today against one of the best players in the world,” Nadal said. “It is something that happens.”
On the court, the Spanish tennis star was looking well on his way to a victory as he rolled past Tsitsipas in the first two sets. However, his opponent maximized his young legs as he crawled back to pose a threat to Nadal in the third set of the match. After gaining momentum, Tsitsipas continued to step on the pedal to emerge victoriously, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 7-5, in a contest that lasted for four hours.
Meanwhile, Nadal's exit definitely made life easier for the top-ranked player in Novak Djokovic as he is set to face an underdog in Aslan Karatsev in the semi-finals tilt of the tournament. Tsitsipas is seeking to topple another favorite in Djokovic in the event that the two players get to meet in the Finals stage of the Australian Open.
The loss might be painful for Rafael Nadal but on the other hand, it could've already set up Stefanos Tsitsipas to have the biggest break of his young playing career as of late.
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