If Rafael Nadal shone under the Melbourne sun to advance to the second round of the Australian Open, Alexander Zverev dazzled afterwards, winning the hearts of the local public by promising that if he manages to win the tournament, he will donate the financial prize of the same to the fight against the fires ravaging the country.
The German, seventh player in the world, also announced that he will give $ 10,000 for each victory at the Australian Open.
I’ll give $ 10,000 a win. I know that I am not the favorite to win the tournament, but if I win it, I will offer my bonus to the last cent ”for the fight against fires, he promised after qualifying for the second round, defeating the Italian Marco Cecchinato (77th), by 6 -4, 7-6 (7/4) 6-3.
The premium for the winner of the tournament final is 4.12 million Australian dollars (2.5 million euros), but Zverev did not specify whether he was speaking in US or Australian dollars.
For his part, Rafael Nadal easily qualified for the second round at the expense of Bolivian Hugo Dellien (73rd), whom he won 6-2, 6-3, 6-0, and will continue his quest for a twentieth Grand Slam title to match Roger Federer.
«It is a good debut. The third set in particular has been very good. I have played at a very good level ”, commented the Spaniard, world number one.
– Nadal measured his effort –
«In the first two sets, I was a bit careful, since I didn’t want to go overboard with the effort and at the same time I didn’t want to play badly. I just wanted to be solid and not make fouls, “said Nadal.
Nadal needed 2 hours and 2 minutes to prevail, while his great Swiss rival, Roger Federer, beat American Steve Johnson (75) in 1 hour and 21 minutes on Monday.
The 33-year-old Balearic tennis player has only won the Australian Open once, in 2009, being a finalist four times.
“I don’t mind having 20 Grand Slam titles or 15 or 16. I’m just worried about continuing my tennis career and enjoying myself,” Nadal said.
The Spaniard will face Argentine Federico Delbonis (76th), who beat Portuguese Joao Sousa (59th), 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) in the next round.
For his part, the Austrian Dominic Thiem (5th), one of the candidates for the succession of the three best players in the world in the record of a Grand Slam tournament (Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have divided the last twelve), also he made it through the first round with ease by beating Frenchman Adrian Mannarino (44th) 6-3, 7-5, 6-2.
Russian Daniil Medvedev (4th) had a good debut against American Frances Tiafoe (50th) whom he beat 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
– Doubts about Sharapova –
In the women’s draw, Czech Karolina Pliskova, world number two and semifinalist last year, beat French Kristina Mladenovic (41st), 6-1, 7-5.
The day was also marked by the new elimination in the first round of a Grand Slam of the Russian Maria Sharapova, defeated 6-3, 6-4 by the Croatian Donna Vekic (20th).
This defeat seems to cast doubt on the future of the now 145th world championship, but that it will fall beyond 350th at the end of this Australian Open, where it reached the last 16 last year.
Dese then has not won a match in a Grand Slam tournament.
“I don’t know, I don’t know,” he replied to AFP when asked whether he will return to Melbourne in 2021, also being vague in his answer about the continuation of the season in 2020.
Honestly, I’d like to answer, but I just don’t know. I have not reflected on my program from here, “said the Russian.
At the invitation of the organizers, the 32-year-old former world number one fell to 147 world place after her US Open first-round loss to Serena Williams in August, her last match of 2019. AFP