Alex de Minaur 'lost all respect' for Rafael Nadal before surprising grudge match

The clay season has felt very different without this year. Dubbed the 'King of Clay', the Spaniard used to sweep titles, winning the French Open 14 times and collecting 26 trophies across the Masters 1000 events in Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome. Nadal enjoyed his final outing on the dirt last year, though he wasn't the player he once was, having spent months sidelined by injuries.

The former world No. 1 still managed to go on a dream run in Madrid, where he beat in a grudge match. It was a surprise result given Nadal's woes and his recent loss to De Minaur. At the time, the Aussie admitted he had to "lose all respect" for the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

In 2024, Nadal and De Minaur met in round two of the Madrid Open, their second showdown in 10 days. De Minaur had sent the Spaniard packing in Barcelona on Pista Rafa Nadal, a court named after the man himself.

Nadal won his first three matches against De Minaur from 2018 to 2020. But the world No. 7 flipped the script later in their careers, defeating Nadal at the 2023 United Cup before notching another win in Barcelona.

And the 26-year-old admitted that the key to beating a great champion like Nadal was to "lose all respect" for him and his achievements.

Nadal and De Minaur first met on the grass courts at Wimbledon seven years ago and the Australian shared what he learned from that match during an episode of All On The Table.

"So much physicality, even on the grass, so I can only imagine on a clay court," he said before getting the chance to play Nadal twice on clay.

"You have to lose all the respect you have for him and just play him as another player."

De Minaur sealed a 7-5 6-1 victory against Nadal when they met in Barcelona last year, and the 38-year-old later admitted he was only able to be competitive for one set before giving in to his body.

"In Barcelona, I was only able to compete in one set. Alex is a tough opponent," Nadal explained.

"He makes you play every point, to win I need time and effort. I'm not ruling anything out, but it's a match in which I'm not a favourite."

It was no surprise that Nadal didn't have great expectations going into their Madrid Open match. However, he immediately got revenge on De Minaur, sending the 10th seed packing with a 7-6(6) 6-3 victory.

Nadal went on to reach the last 16, losing to Jiri Lehecka. He was honoured on the Manolo Santana Stadium with a brief ceremony, having previously confirmed that it was his final appearance at the Madrid Ope,n whether or not he planned to retire.

The Spaniard finally hung up his racket at the end of 2024 during the Davis Cup Finals. He will