Australian Open: Darderi stronger than stomach ache, eliminated Nardi

Luciano Darderi is off to a good start in Melbourne. The Italian-Argentine, number 22 in the seeding and 25 in the world, beat Cristian Garin, number 82 in the ATP rankings, in three sets with a final score of 7-6 7-5 7-6 after nearly three hours of play. L’Azzurro, who went to serve for the match on the score of 5-4 in the third set, experienced a pain in his stomach that could have cost him dearly. “I started to feel some pain in my belly in the last set – he explained in the press conference -, however, I managed to handle it and in the end we brought home the victory. If I had lost the third set, I think it would have been a problem to go all the way in the last two sets”.

The rules state that you can only go to the bathroom during the changeover: “I tried in one minute, however, I couldn&#8217t make it because I had also taken a gastro-protector in the second set. I put something a little stronger for my foot, however, I forgot to take it, so for the next game it will be there. I was also a little tense, we know each other well with Cristian, we do athletics with the same trainer, so it was a little difficult. We also play doubles together (they will take on the Krajicek-Mektic pair, ed.)”.

“Between friends sometimes you feel a little bit of tension and with the heat I was also getting a little bit of cramp in the third set. I took some salts, some gels and I think everything together made a bomb effect to get out of this situation” added the Villa-Gesell native. The stomach ache experienced in the final stages of the match, however, was definitely not due to food: “No, no. I have been eating well, I am always eating very well and clean, so I don”t think it was the food, of that I am sure”.

Who, on the other hand, must already say goodbye to the Australian Open is Luca Nardi. The Marche player, number 108 in the world rankings, surrendered in four sets to Chinese qualifier Yibing Wu, number 168 in the ATP rankings, who won with a final score of 7-5 4-6 6-4 6-2 after nearly three hours of play.

After a first set lost at the photo finish, Nardi had a great reaction in the second partial where he won the last four games. A break in the 10th game of the third set again doomed the Azure who collapsed in the last partial where he surrendered the last four games.