Rafael Nadal facing Australian Open concerns as Spaniard suffers United Cup disappointment | Tennis | Sport

While Djokovic has been in inspired form over the past 12 months, Nadal is yet to win since the start of the new season and there have been questions regarding his immediate future in tennis given his age, injury record and recent birth of his first child.

And the Manacor-born star reacted with a tetchy response in the aftermath of his defeat to Norrie with reporters asking if he was considering retirement.

However, the two-time Australian Open winner was more composed and sought to allay fears about his surprise defeats by comparing his poor start in 2022 before claiming two Majors to add to his collection.

“I was very close to win against two great players. I am not too alarmed,” he told reporters. “I need to be a little bit faster on the court. Last year I had lost two matches in Abu Dhabi too.”