Rafael Nadal is hoping to capture his 20th Grand Slam this season. The 33-year-old would equal Roger Federer’s Grand Slam tally if he can win another major before the Swiss player. Both players are in action at the Australian Open this month. Rafa advanced to the third round of the competition after defeating Federico Delbonis.
Rafael Nadal apologizes with a kiss
Nadal won the match in straight sets and looked comfortable against the Argentine. However, an unfortunate incident occurred during the match. With the Spaniard leading in the third set, he moved to return a serve but unluckily, the ball hit a ball girl on the head. The crowd in the stadium was shocked while Nadal also grimaced when he saw the ball hit her. The girl gave a thumbs up to show that she was okay, but both players made their way towards her to confirm that she was okay. The current world number one gave her a kiss on the cheek and patted her head, which drew cheers from the crowd.
From the @AustralianOpen IG stories, @RafaelNadal meets with Anita and her family🤩😍 pic.twitter.com/Ep5RMKTLEv
— Inés S. (@gandaines) January 24, 2020
Nadal was scared for ballkid
In an interview after the match, Nadal said he did not intend to hit the ball girl and was concerned about her. “For her, probably it was not a good moment. I was so scared for her, honestly.” After sharing a special moment with the girl, the Spaniard called her a brave girl. He described it as one of the scariest moments he had ever had on a tennis court. On Friday, the world number one caught up with the ball girl and her parents during practice. After again apologizing for the incident, he gave her an autographed cap from the Rafael Nadal Academy.
Rafael Nadal vs Novok Djokovic, battle for world No. 1
The 19-time Grand Slam champion will face fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in the next round. Rafa was a finalist at last year’s Australian Open but lost to Novak Djokovic. They were also involved in a heated race for the number one position. The world No.1 prevailed over his Serbian rival, ending the year as number one for the fifth time in his career. The race resumed this season, and Djokovic is in a position to leapfrog the Spaniard in the rankings. He trails current world number one by only 510 points. If Serbian wins the title and Nadal fails to get to the semifinals in Australia, he will regain the number one ranking after the tournament. However, a semifinal appearance by the Spaniard will ensure that he retains the ranking even if Novak wins the title.
Nadal at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2020
Currently ranked no.1, Nadal has a 7-2 win-loss record in 2020. Rafael is playing at the Australian Open where he beat Hugo Dellien 6-2 6-3 6-0, Federico Delbonis 6-3 7-64 6-1 and Pablo Carreno-Busta 6-1 6-2 6-4.
The Spaniard was the finalist in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney.
The Spaniard won 84 titles in his career: 20 on hard courts, 59 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 4 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
