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Rafael Nadal has arrived in Australia to participate in the United Cup, the new competition that unites the ATP and WTA circuits that will officially open the 2023 tennis season. The Spanish champion has every desire and ambition to repeat the incredible start he He demonstrated in 2022, in which he also managed to win the Australian Open for the second time in his career.
This time, the Iberian will play a few matches in his country's jersey to prepare for the prestigious event in Melbourne. The world number 2 appeared at a press conference on the eve of the start of the season and declared: "The start of the season is always exciting.
For everyone it is new, with doubts about how things will go. Although I don't know how many seasons I've been on the pitch, the beginnings are always different. I have the maximum motivation to start well. That is why trust is always important.
The last few months have not been easy for me. The important thing now is to recover the positive sensations on the pitch to be competitive. I am ready to achieve it", declared the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles. He praised Nick Kyrgios, who, due to his withdrawal, will not play the United Cup: "I know he doesn't like playing Roland Garros too much, it's the only tournament he doesn't seem to want to be in.
He reached the final at Wimbledon, he was close to New York... I think he has a good chance of winning any tournament he plays. He has all the talent, all the weapons to beat any player. He can certainly do it," he added to the media.
Rafa also spoke about Novak Djokovic again: 2No, he is here in Australia. He is good for tennis, probably also for the amateurs. The best players on the court always win," he concluded.
Nadal will play the United Cup
Rafael Nadal has no ill will towards Kylian Mbappe whatsoever for declining a move to Real Madrid at the last minute in 2022.
"I don't have to forgive [Kylian] Mbappé for anything and as a [Real] Madrid fan, if he could, come tomorrow," Nadal said. "In the end, things happen in sports and I suppose that such a young boy was overwhelmed by such tremendous pressure from all angles that in the end...
I think he wanted to come to Madrid, but due to many factors, everything was very complicated for him. Hopefully we can see him in [Real] Madrid in the future. I would like Kylian to be there this year, but even so, Madrid is in a privileged position in all competitions, playing fantastic football for me. And until the last three games before the break, everything was going smoothly," Nadal said.