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ATP Cup champions Medvedev, Rublev also highlight Tuesday play

To think that Rafael Nadal was just a promising young Mallorcan, albeit no sure thing, when he made his main-draw debut at the Australian Open in 2004. Just 17, he was a bullish baseliner with oodles of lefty topspin and a ‘til-the-last-ball mindset.

He would reach the third round that year, eventually succumbing to home favourite Lleyton Hewitt, 7-6(2), 7-6(5), 6-2. A strong early-career showing, no doubt. But, truth be told, nobody really knew what the future held for the clay-bred newcomer, who some mistakenly typecast as a one-surface wonder.

“He’s a hell of a prospect,” said Hewitt. “[But] clay’s his No. 1 surface at the moment… He’s just one of the next Spaniards coming up. There’s a lot of them.”

A slew of talented Spaniards? Hewitt had that right. But there’s only one Rafael Nadal.

Nadal returns to Melbourne some 17 years later, deadlocked with career-long rival Roger Federer with a record 20 major singles titles. Since that first appearance at Melbourne Park back in 2004, he’s reached the final on five occasions, winning it all in 2009, when he famously ousted a tearful Federer in five sets. He has a chance to make history in 2021, but only if the tricenarian’s body is up to the task.

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The World No. 2 emerged from quarantine to join his fellow Spaniards at the ATP Cup, only to be sidelined with back tightness, something he says he’s been dealing with for more than two weeks. But Nadal insisted he was doing all he could to be ready for his Day 2 opener in Rod Laver Arena, where he’s scheduled to face 56th-ranked Serbian Laslo Djere.

“I was not able to practise the right way the last week and a half,” Nadal told reporters on Sunday. “I’m still not having the best feeling possible in my back, but I am practising again. I did a lot of things to recover. It’s not serious, but the muscle is still tight, so it’s difficult to play with freedom of movement. Let’s hope the situation keeps improving. We’re doing everything. My physio [Rafael Maymo] is here, the doctors are here — everybody is helping me in all possible ways.”

Also on the Rod Laver Arena line-up for Day 2 is fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who’ll open against Frenchman Gilles Simon. Some of the most exciting moments of the Athenian’s young career have come at Melbourne Park. In 2019, he stunned Federer, 6-7(11), 7-6(3), 7-5, 7-6(5), en route to the semi-finals.

Riding high after claiming their first ATP Cup title are Russians Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev. Both players will be in action on Tuesday: The fourth seed Medvedev against Canada’s Vasek Pospisil, and the seventh seed Rublev against Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann. Medvedev, 24, swept his last 10 matches of 2020, including title runs at the Rolex Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/dani ... ew'>Daniil Medvedev</a> clinches Russia's place in the <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/ ... rview'>ATP Cup</a> final.

Daniil Medvedev defeated three Top 10 players during Russia's successful ATP Cup campaign last week.
With his 6-4, 6-2 dismissal of Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in the ATP Cup clincher, Medvedev has now won 10 straight against Top-10 competition in the FedEx ATP Rankings, and his winning streak has reached 14 matches.

“It's a really big achievement,” said Medvedev. “It's a big boost in confidence. Even when you lose, you know that you’re capable of playing this level, and it helps you for the next time to stand up.”

Russia’s ATP Cup triumph came against Italy, whose team included 33-year-old Fabio Fognini as its No. 2 player. The No. 16 seed in Melbourne, Fognini will face Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France.

Daniel Evans, the No. 30 seed, carries some serious momentum into his all-English first-round showdown with Cameron Norrie. Evans claimed the first ATP title of his career on Sunday, scoring a convincing 6-2, 6-3 victory over Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Murray River Open. He appears to be rounding into form at exactly the right time.

“I didn't play great in the first two rounds,” said Evans. “I didn't feel great at all. Hanging in, I found my level in the end and here we are. I played good tennis the past three matches, probably some of the best stuff I’ve ever played.”

David Goffin, the No. 13 seed and a quarter-finalist in 2017, will take the court against Australian wild card Alexei Popyrin. Also among the featured first-round matches are No. 21 Alex de Minaur vs. Tennys Sandgren; Guido Pella vs. No. 22 Borna Coric; and Sam Querrey vs. No. 31 Lorenzo Sonego.