Rafael Nadal has suffered a straight-sets defeat to Lucas Pouille in his final Wimbledon warm-up match at the Aspall Tennis Classic at Hurlingham. The world No. 1, who beat Matthew Ebden on Wednesday, went down 6-7(10), 5-7 to the French player in London.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Lucas Pouille of France shakes hands at the net after beating Rafael Nadal of Spain 2 – 0 during the Aspall Tennis Classic at Hurlingham on June 29, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Lucas Pouille of France shakes hands at the net after beating Rafael Nadal of Spain 2 – 0 during the Aspall Tennis Classic at Hurlingham on June 29, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Lucas Pouille of France shakes hands at the net after beating Rafael Nadal of Spain 2 – 0 during the Aspall Tennis Classic at Hurlingham on June 29, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Lucas Pouille of France shakes hands at the net after beating Rafael Nadal of Spain 2 – 0 during the Aspall Tennis Classic at Hurlingham on June 29, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Rafa could have been using the match purely as practice.
All the best Rafa for your first game,
Love and prayers,
AlaineXXSydneyXXAustraliaXX
I think in the match, he had difficulty adjusting the return hit point..wen he stood back back the ball was moving away from him and his returns became short…wen stood in front though he took the ball early it went past the line..had Rafa practised talking early and hitting gwithin the lines he wid have won the match..I think the serve needs better placement and he said able to withstand pressure..some serves were easy pickings for pouille..heshud have ended points lil bit early..pouille was more coming to net often to finish the point Rafa hesitated..Ithink this Wimbledon is gud as a chance as us open last year..Rafa shud take it easy, but shudnt feel the pressure of winning as it is easy draw. It is easier said than done coz he had less success..
Rafa is a fighter and he will do the best he can. Win or lose he will always be the best ever to me! As long as Federer doesn’t win I will be happy. I would love for my Rafa to go all the way to the final, but don’t want to put any more pressure on him. Personally, I would love for him to win one more Aussie open….then he would be complete and one of only 3? to complete all four grand slams at least twice. You do what you do Rafa, love yer!!
Oooh 😩 That’s baaad !!! But there is still Time to improve !!! Vamooos rafa !!!
You people also forget that Rafa was practicing more than competing
Yes, it was an exhibition match BUT Rafa does not like to lose; he has a fear of losing.
Rafa you are my Champion! You can win Wimbledon !
Pouille seemed to have a lot more energy than Rafa and he was the better player today. Happy Rafa was moving in more but his serves were not what they need to be. Get that adrenaline going Rafa.
RAFAMAZING ROCKS
Rafa’s serving was not too bad except he had a few double faults in his match. The grass plays really fast at the Hurlingham Club and it won’t be that way at Wimbledon lawn. I think Rafa also lost in one of his matches at this exhibition last year as well, but he went on to Wimbledon and played beautifully. His first match on Tuesday is against Duda Sela. I think we will see Rafa rejuvenated and ready to go. Excited for his Wimbledon this year.
Go beat ’em all Rafa! Vamos!
Still a lot work to do for Rafa. He didn‘t look good today. Vamos Rafa <3
I watched most of the match and thought Pouille played better than Rafa, especially his serve. It was an exhibition, but a serious one. I thought Rafa continues to serve poorly, which was my main concern. Does anyone know if Moya is coming? He is not at practice now. I thought that he might arrive this weekend?
va4favre, Carlos has been spending time with his family, he has three youngsters.
“Carlos Moyá has been relaxing before Wimbledon in the resort town of Magaluf in Mallorca. He was spotted in the water park [Western Park] with his children. He was accessible, kind and attentive to those who recognized him and requested to be photographed with him.”
[Source: Diario de Mallorca, 6/28/2018]
Carlos will always be with Rafa during a Slam unless of course he has some kind of emergency. It is no surprise that there hasn’t been any articles about him lately as he has been in Mallorca.
It is worth noting that Carlos is more of a laid-back guy, he does not seek attention and likes to be in the background.
CARLOS ROCKS THE WATER PARK
Not good news in terms of Rafa’s Wimbledon preparation. He should have won this one. I need to see the match to make a more informed judgement.
Lorna, It was a close match, but I will be interested in what you say. Rafa did not seem to have his usual energy. With only one camera, it was hard to tell.