Nadal: 'We'll Try To Put On A Good Show'
Rafael Nadal wishes to put on a show at the 12-team ATP Cup as he looks to help Spain go one better than last year’s runner-up finish.
“[We will] try to give to the fans around the world and the fans here in Australia a good show,” said Nadal on Sunday. “For some of the people who are suffering a lot at home, we will try to [provide] good entertainment for them.
“I just [want to] congratulate the country for an amazing effort… to contain the virus here. It’s one of the best examples in the world about how to do the things well in this particular case. We appreciate so much the effort that the country and Tennis Australia have done to allow us to be here and play our sport.”
Spain begins its 2021 ATP Cup quest on Tuesday against host nation Australia and plays Greece in its second Group B tie on Thursday. The top team from each of the four groups will advance to the knock-out semi-finals.
Pepe Vendrell, Spain’s captain, is preparing his squad of Nadal, Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta and Marcel Granollers for a hard week, starting with their first tie against Australia.
“It’s going to be a tough battle,” said Vendrell. “We played last year against Australia. They are playing at home and they have the support of the crowd. But we are very excited to be here and to start the season playing against Australia in ATP Cup. In my opinion, Spain is a country that loves to play as a team. We have this culture since we were young… In ATP Cup, it’s a competition by teams. You play for your country. I think it’s a great experience for everyone.”
Nadal got the better of Australian Alex de Minaur 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in a thrilling semi-final encounter last year. “He’s improving every year. I think it’s going to be a tough battle for all of us playing against a great team like Australia… We are a good team, with great players, [so] we have different options. Everybody is ready to play, and to play at a very competitive level.”
Bautista Agut, who was one of the standout performers at the inaugural ATP Cup last year with a perfect 6-0 (12-0 in sets) record, is raring to go. “We’ve been practising a lot in the past months. I think now it’s time to compete. I think everybody did the job well [and] we are ready to start the season playing a nice event – the ATP Cup.”