Rafael Nadal‘s Australian Open journey has come to an end.
Thiem, 26, bested Nadal in four sets (7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 ) after a total playing time of four hours and ten minutes, according toESPN.
The loss ended Nadal’s chances to tieRoger Federer‘s record of 20 Grand Slam Titles. It also ended his career-best streak of making it to at least the semifinals at seven consecutive Grand Slam tournaments.
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Rafael Nadal.Recep Sakar/Anadolu Agency via Getty
“He’s playing with a lot of energy …[and] determination. So well done for him,” Nadal told ESPN after the match. “I honestly didn’t play a bad match.”
When asked what he wished he would’ve done better against Thiem, Nadal said, “Win any tiebreak.”
Thiem, meanwhile, was gracious about his victory, calling Nadal, “one of the greatest of all time, one of this sport’s biggest legends.”
Thiem has now reached his fifth major semifinal and will continue in the tournament and face off against No. 7 seed Alexander Zverev, 22, on Friday.
“I think it’s the first time I am playing a Grand Slam semifinal, and I am the older player,” Thiem joked to ESPN.
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Federer,Serena Williams, Coco Gauff,Naomi Osakaand Novak Djokovic were among those who competed at Melbourne Park’s Rod Laver Arena for an exhibition match to raise money for the wildfires fund. Volunteer firefighters were even invited onto the court to play against the athletes.
The Rally for Reliefraised $3.5 million, not including additional pledges from some athletes and Tennis Australia, the organization that put on the rally.
source: people.com
