Wimbledon 2022, now Rafa Nadal knows what awaits him

At the ‘Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic’ in Hurlingham came a loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime.

All right, it was an exhibition match, but when it comes to competing Rafael Nadal is not willing to lose even if he were playing darts. The Spanish champion, who the day before had beaten Stan Wawrinka in one of the exhibition matches at Hurlingham, a pre-Wimbledon test for many bigs including Novak Djokovic, had to bow to the power and accuracy of Felix Auger-Aliassime’s serve, the Canadian placed in the same part of the draw at the ‘Championships. The challenge could be repeated on the prestigious turf of the All England Club in the second week, in the quarterfinals.

After losing the first set in the tie-break, the Manacor left-hander prevailed in the second partial, only to succumb in the super tie-break under the blows of the North American, who unleashed a serve that was often impregnable for the Spaniard. “I have to keep working in the coming days, but the feelings are positive,” Nadal said after the defeat. “I have to improve in many ways, as always in life. Every day you have to try to be better. I haven’t played on this surface for three years, so every day gives me the opportunity to improve,” he concluded.