Rafael Nadal thought he
would be tested by Alexander Zverev at the
Australian Open.
He was right -- but the 14-time grand slam
winner overcame his younger, bigger-hitting foe
in five sets Saturday to maintain his chances of
claiming a first major since 2014 at Roland
Garros.
Matching, or perhaps exceeding, the drama of
Denis Istomin's stunning upset of six-time
tournament champion Novak Djokovic on
Thursday, the Spaniard and 6-foot-6 German
slugged it out before Nadal prevailed 4-6 6-3 6-7
(5-7) 6-3 6-2 in four hours, six minutes on Rod
Laver Arena.
"For the confidence, for a lot of things, (it's) very
important to win these kinds of matches," Nadal
told reporters. "I worked a lot during all December
to have the chances to compete well in these
kinds of moments.
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