Rafael Nadal wary of "one of the toughest first rounds possible" as clash against Jack Draper looms at Australian Open 2023

Rafael Nadal expects to face a huge challenge from the in-form Jack Draper in their first-round match at the 2023 Australian Open on Monday. The defending champion believes he has been dealt a tough hand right off the bat, calling the challenge against Draper "one of the toughest possible" in the first round, particularly as a seeded player.

Nadal, the top seed at the Australian Open over the upcoming fortnight, has not faced current World No. 40 Draper so far on tour. The match against the Spanish legend will be the rising British star's first-ever main draw match at the Australian Open. In his three main draw appearances at Grand Slams so far in his career, he took a set off Novak Djokovic at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships and beat Felix Auger-Aliassime at the 2022 US Open.

Looking ahead to his match against Draper, Nadal highlighted the task at hand and also lauded the 21-year-old for his evolution over the last year. Draper's rise to the Top-40 comes just 12 months after he was outside the Top-250 of the ATP rankings.

"Of course, probably one of the toughest first rounds possible, being seeded," Nadal said on facing Draper, during a pre-tournament press conference on Saturday. "Young, powerful, growing very, very fast on the ranking, playing well."

The Spaniard, looking for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam singles title, elaborated on the challenge of facing Draper early in the tournament. He also expressed his belief that the Briton player has a "great career" ahead of him.

"Probably, yeah, a big challenge for me at the beginning to start the tournament. Let's see. I'm here to just give myself a chance. I know he's playing well. He has a lot of positive things, and probably a great career in front," the Spaniard added.

While they are yet to face each other in a tour-level match, Nadal has had a good look at Draper's game.

"A little bit, yeah. I saw (Draper play) a few times. Yeah, I know him more or less," said the 36-year-old.

Rafael Nadal hopes to regain winning momentum against "very tough opponent" in Jack Draper

Rafael Nadal practices ahead of the 2023 Australian Open.

What makes the match against Jack Draper a bit trickier for Rafael Nadal is the fact that he is himself short of match wins in the last couple of months. While the Spaniard has been satisfied with his work in training over the last few weeks, he is wary of his first-round battle against a "very tough opponent" who is feeling confident in his own game.

"I still hope that I can play a good Australian Open. But you don't know what can happen," the Spanish great said. "The first round going to be an important one against a very tough opponent."

He admitted that Draper does possess the skills to beat him and is not an opponent to be taken for granted. Having said that, the two-time Australian Open champion also stated that losing would not be "the end of the world" for him.

"From my experience, I tell you one thing. I mean, I can go here on Monday and lose without a doubt and not going to be the end of the world," he stated. "Going to be a tough moment, of course, but I going to accept it, doesn't matter the result."

If he gets through the match against Draper, the Mallorca native will next face the winner of the all-American clash between Mackenzie McDonald and Brandon Nakashima.