Barcelona, April 17: Rafael Nadal crashed out of the Barcelona Open after suffering a straight-sets defeat against Alex de Minaur, here on Wednesday. Fourth-seeded de Minaur advanced to the third round after beating Nadal 7-5, 6-1 in one hour and 51 minutes long battle. Roberto Bautista Agut Beats Roman Safiullin in Barcelona Open 2024.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion subsequently sat out scheduled appearances at the BNP Paribas Open and Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Masters 1000 tournaments he previously won thrice and 11 times, respectively.

Nadal was playing just his second tournament of the year and first since January, when he made the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 in Brisbane. Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2024: Aryna Sabalenka To Face Good Friend Paula Badosa in Stuttgart Opener.

Earlier on Tuesday, the 37-year-old was playing his first clay-court match since winning his 14th Roland Garros trophy in 2022 marking his 475th win on the surface.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 18, 2024 08:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).