Rafael Nadal takes 'missing' racquet in stride after Australian Open 1R win, dismisses it as a "funny" situation

Rafael Nadal booked his spot in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open after overcoming Jack Draper in four sets on Monday. The highlight of the Spaniard's 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 win was a moment in the first set when the racquet he wanted to play with suddenly went missing.

As it turned out, it was a minor case of miscommunication, as the ball kid he had charged with re-stringing one of his racquets took off with the one he was playing with during the changeover. After a few seconds of panicking, the 22-time Grand Slam champion explained the situation to the chair umpire and began playing with another of his racquets.

Recalling his thoughts at the time of the incident when speaking to Eurosport after the win, the 36-year-old saw the funny side of the situation, remarking that it was not distracting at all for him. Explaining what transpired, the former World No. 1 was mostly just amused about what happened.

"Not distracting, just a funny situation. But normally, I have the number of the racquets under control, so I say, I need the string," Nadal said. "But I need the string to other racquet, he picked the racquet that I was ready to play [with]. But well, just an anecdote, yeah. No problem at all."

Rafael Nadal takes on Mackenzie McDonald in second round of Australian Open

Rafael Nadal at the 2023 Australian Open

Following his win over Jack Draper, Rafael Nadal will lock horns with Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open. The American beat compatriot Brandon Nakashima in five sets in his opener to set a date with the Spaniard.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion, meanwhile, had plenty of praise for the Brit in his press conference afterwards, reiterating his potential and declaring that he had a bright future ahead of him.

Touching on the youngster's cramping during the contest, the World No. 2 hoped it was nothing serious and predicted that he could have a very productive season if he manages to stay fit for the rest of the year.

"As I said before the tournament start, he's a great player with a lot of potential, young. A great future in front, I think. So was a tough, tough match. Full respect for him. Wish him well for the future," Nadal said.

"I think it's only cramping what happened at the end to him. Hopefully is nothing important. But I think he is in the right position to have a very productive season. I am happy that I was able to win against a great player this afternoon," he added.