Melbourne Jan 9 (IANS) Richard Gasquet of France on Tuesday handed a defeat to World No.1 Rafael Nadal at the Kooyong Classic exhibition in Australia.
This was Nadal s first match after withdrawing due to a right knee injury from the 2017 ATP Finals in London and despite losing 4-6 5-7 to the World No.31 he remained upbeat about his physical condition reports Xinhua news agency.
"It s not an official match but still a test for me and good practice that s the most important thing that s the most important thing for the whole season " the 31-year-old Spaniard said reaffirming his need to keep practising hard to be prepared for the Australian Open.
"I had a long year last year so I had to start my preparation later than usual. But I ve arrived with plenty of time and it s a good day to start again the feelings of playing a match " the 16-time Grand Slam champion added.
On Wednesday Nadal is set to play against Serbia s Novak Djokovic World No.14 at the Tie Break Tens in Melbourne where matches are to be comprised of tie-breaks only with no games and no sets.
Nadal s first official match is scheduled to take place at the Australian Open following his withdrawal from the Brisbane International tournament and from an exhibition held in Abu Dhabi.
--IANS
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