AFP, Melbourne :
Rafael Nadal will test his sore back again Thursday as he chases a record 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open, while top women’s seed Ashleigh Barty, yet to drop a game, faces an all-Aussie clash in the second round.
The ailing Spanish second seed had to modify his service action during a straight-sets cruise past Serbia’s Laslo Djere in the first round.
He will round off the night session on Rod Laver Arena against American qualifier Michael Mmoh, having never lost a match at the Australian Open to a player ranked as low as the world number 177.
“My back is not perfect. Every day that I’m able to go through, probably there are more chances to be better,” said Nadal, who also pulled out of the ATP Cup last week.
Barty dropped only 10 points as she raced through in just 44 minutes against the outclassed Danka Kovinic on Tuesday.
Now the world number one faces fellow Aussie Daria Gavrilova, a former top 30 player who has slumped to 377th after a torrid 2019 when she lost 12 times in the first round in 14 tour events.
Rafael Nadal will test his sore back again Thursday as he chases a record 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open, while top women’s seed Ashleigh Barty, yet to drop a game, faces an all-Aussie clash in the second round.
The ailing Spanish second seed had to modify his service action during a straight-sets cruise past Serbia’s Laslo Djere in the first round.
He will round off the night session on Rod Laver Arena against American qualifier Michael Mmoh, having never lost a match at the Australian Open to a player ranked as low as the world number 177.
“My back is not perfect. Every day that I’m able to go through, probably there are more chances to be better,” said Nadal, who also pulled out of the ATP Cup last week.
Barty dropped only 10 points as she raced through in just 44 minutes against the outclassed Danka Kovinic on Tuesday.
Now the world number one faces fellow Aussie Daria Gavrilova, a former top 30 player who has slumped to 377th after a torrid 2019 when she lost 12 times in the first round in 14 tour events.
