Alexei Popyrin, the Australian rising star, is taking on the ‘King of Clay’ Rafael Nadal at the Round of 16 of Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday, May 06.
The 21-year-old faced World No. 18 Jannik Sinner at the previous round of the tournament, where the Australian won with a score of 7 (7)-6 (5), 6-2. However, the biggest challenge will be the next round against Rafa.
¡Todo preparado!
🇪🇸 @RafaelNadal y 🇦🇺 @AlexeiPopyrin99 buscan una plaza en cuartos de final #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/IK8e9FfzBS
— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) May 6, 2021
Nadal is known for his excellence at the clay court, therefore the Aussie claims to go through footage of the match between the World No.2 Nadal and Robin Soderling at the 2009 French Open.
Popyrin further mentioned being an underdog against the Spaniard, who is the absolute favourite at clay. However, Popyrin doesn’t lose hope and tends to give his all against Rafa.
Alexei Popyrin of Australia celebrates winning his second-round match against Jannik Sinner of Italy during day seven of the Mutua Madrid Open at La Caja Magicaon May 05, 2021, in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
Alexei reported, “I’m just going to go out and have fun, I’ve got to play him (Nadal) and on his favourite surface and he’s the greatest of all time on clay.”
“Maybe, I’ll watch a little bit of his 2009 loss against Soderling. Maybe I can get some tips from there, try and build some tactics on how to play against him, ” added Popyrin.
The 21-year-old further stated, “I’m not going to go out there thinking, ‘I’m going to lose one and one’. I’m going to give it my all, put in a fight. I’m going to go out there believing that I can actually play because I believe I do have the level to play with him.
Alexei Popyrin of Australia takes on Rafael Nadal of Spain at the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open at La Caja Magica on May 06, 2021, in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
“All the cards are in his favour, but I don’t mind being the underdog. I have been the underdog for most of my career, so I’m glad to be able to be one.”
Even Spain’s Raging Bull, Nadal also acknowledged the World No. 76 to be a tough competitor in an interview, after Nadal’s victory against another young prodigy Carlos Alcaraz.
Rafa exported his thoughts about Alexei prior to their match, “He has a huge serve, great forehand, young,” Nadal said. “Yeah, another tough opponent.”
¡CUARTOS!
🇪🇸 @RafaelNadal resuelve su duelo de tercera ronda ante 🇦🇺 Popyrin por 6-3, 6-3.#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/02Hsy82TTA
— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) May 6, 2021
Alexei Popyrin had a good start in the R16 match and even served 8 Aces against Nadal. Whereas, the Spaniard could only hit a single ace throughout the match. However, the Aussie also served four double faults against Rafa, who had zero faults. Therefore, the 21-year-old couldn’t pressurize Rafael Nadal and further lost to the Spaniard with a score of 3-6, 3-6.
