Sports
Nadal wants to start afresh at 2018 Australian Open
Melbourne, Jan 13 (IANS) Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal has said the bitter disappointment of last year’s narrow five-set loss to Roger Federer in the Australian Open final will not give him any extra motivation for this year’s opening Grand Slam.
“It is impossible to be more motivated than last year or any year,” the world number one told Xinhua news agency on Saturday.
“For me the Australian Open, if you are not 100 percent motivated to win this tournament, you probably don’t love the sport.”
Despite a stellar 2017, which saw the 31-year-old claim the US Open and a record 10th French Open title, Nadal talked down the significance of beginning the year with the No.1 ranking.
“It is better to start No.1 than No.20,” the Spaniard said.
“But everyone starts from zero. I start from zero again. It’s a new season, an exciting one and I hope to be healthy, competitive and, most importantly, to enjoy tennis.”
“I just think about my first round… It’s the first match of the year and I don’t think further than that. I take it day by day as I always have.”
Nadal’s first hit out of the 2018 Australian Open will take place on Monday, when he faces Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic, who currently ranks 81 in the world.
–IANS
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The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.
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