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Epic Rafa Nadal detail during rival Australian Open match

riley morgan
Sports Reporter
·3-min read
Rafa Nadal (pictured right) during a practice session and (pictured left) the court Ugo Humbert and Richard Gasquet are playing on at the Australian Open.
One spectator noticed the huge crowd at Rafa Nadal's (pictured right) practice session, next to the court Ugo Humbert and Richard Gasquet (pictured left) were playing on at the Australian Open. (Image: @JamieMuscatel/Getty Images)

Frenchmen Ugo Humbert and Richard Gasquet were locked in an epic Australian Open match, but one fan pointed out the fervent support for Rafa Nadal training on the adjacent court.

Humbert took the first set against his countryman as they battled it out on Court 13 in front if a packed crowd.

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However, one fan took to social media to point out the numbers of spectators in the vicinity considering 20-time grand slam champion Nadal had taken to Court 13 to practice.

"Fans everywhere," the spectator tweeted.

The comment was accompanied with a photo of the crowd surrounding court 11 and 13.

It would come as no surprise to tennis fanatics with Nadal the only one of the 'Big Three' in the men's game to be competing at this year's Australian Open.

Many fans will also be aware that Nadal is in the twilight of his career and many are unsure just how many years left the Spaniard has left in him.

Nadal is also no stranger to huge crowds watching his sessions during a tournament throughout his illustrious career.

During his maiden appearance at the Citi Open in 2021, Nadal attracted a monster crowd as fans attempted to catch a glimpse of the Spaniard train.

Rafa Nadal advances at Australian Open

Nadal wasted little time getting into gear as he dismantled the American in the opening set.

The 35-year-old converted his first break point in the fourth game, with a moment of magic that left commentators and viewers in awe.

Giron looked to have the sixth seed's measure when he met a defensive backhand from Nadal with a sharp forehand volley at the net.

However, Nadal showed insane court coverage to chase down the shot and conjure an extraordinary flicked backhand winner from a tight angle.

The second set was a much closer affair as the 20-time grand slam champion's American opponent began to find his rhythm.

MELBOURNE, Rafael Nadal (pictured) thanks for crowd after winning match point at the Australian Open.
Rafael Nadal (pictured) celebrates winning match point in his first round match at the Australian Open. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)

Giron - the 28-year-old late bloomer to tennis who had his best-ever year in 2021 - pushed Nadal but couldn't find a way to overturn the World No.7's break in the opening game of the set.

The third set followed a similar pattern as the Spaniard consolidated his early break to open up another handy lead in the third.

Two more breaks for the Spaniard meant the writing was on the wall for Giron as Nadal clinched the third set 6-2 to book his place in the second round.

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