Rafael Nadal It was not so easy for him in his first duel of the Indian Wells tournament, in which he has been crowned three times.
Your practice partner Sebastian Kordoa pushed him to the limit before the Spaniard prevailed 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (3), improving his record to 16-0 on the year.
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Nadal won the Australian Open in January for his 21st major title and to set a new record, breaking the tie with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. He won titles in Melbourne and Mexico.
He trailed 5-2 in the third set before he won four straight games, breaking Korda twice to take a 6-5 lead. Korda held on to force a tiebreaker.
The 38th-ranked American was leading 3-2, but Nadal scored five points in a row to close out the match in two and a half hours.
The Spaniard withdraws from Miami
The Spanish tennis player became the most recent renowned tennis player to withdraw from the Miami Open, which begins on March 21.
Well, the number 4 in the world is dealing with a chronic ailment in his left foot.
Rafa has been a five-time finalist in the event, but has not participated in Miami since 2017. His absence means that neither of the two champions of the primer Grand Slam this year will be in the tournament.
Nadal was crowned in Australia for his 21st major title, setting a new record
Read also: Medvedev easily passes the second round in Indian Wells
Ashleigh Bartywho was crowned in the women’s branch, also dropped out at the beginning of the month.
Nadal’s decision came three days after Novak Djokovic announced that he would not be in Indian Wells or Miami due to the fact that he is not vaccinated and cannot enter the United States.
“We will certainly miss Rafa. He has a huge following here in South Florida and we look forward to him coming back to Miami next year,” tournament director James Blake said.
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