Rafael Nadal turns into journalist, apologises for leaking news about top player's fitness

Amidst all the seriousness of the competition at the Australian Open 2021, No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal had a bit of a hilarious mix-up to provide some comic relief. Talking to the press after his victory against Italy's Fabio Fognini, Rafa unknowingly revealed some information he probably shouldn't have, realised halfway through that he shouldn't have done that, and then awkwardly apologised for divulging the private information. The gaffe may have revealed some gaps in the Australian Open's communications but mostly ended with no harm done.

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Nadal's funny break at the Australian Open 2021

In a bit of a muddle, Rafael Nadal let slip some probably sensitive information regarding the health of Italian Matteo Berrettini that was, in hindsight, confidential. Berrettini looked to be in some significant pain playing a Round 3 game against Russia's Karen Khachanov on Saturday, taking several medial timeouts to relieve some side strain. The world No. 9 later revealed that he had sustained an abdominal strain during the match, casting some doubt over his fitness for his Round 4 game against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas. 

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However, it seems like Berrettini's imminent withdrawal from the tournament was known much earlier than it was revealed to the public. Talking to members of the press about how his campaign at Melbourne Park was progressing, Nadal said: "I made a step forward today, something that I needed" before forgetfully adding that "and I need to make another one for Wednesday against Tsitsipas I think". The Spaniard quickly realised that something was wrong, probably gauging by the looks on the faces of the press members. 

Quickly backtracking, Nadal asked, "It's official? [do] They play tonight?" Having let the cat out of the bag, Nadal had no option but to lean into his mistake. "Well, okay... I heard Berrettini was a little bit injured, but... not official at all! Sorry for that! Well, uh... I messed it up, but. It's not my fault!" he added. Just a few minutes later, the Australian Open and Berrettini himself confirmed that he would be withdrawing from the tournament. Nadal will now meet the fifth-seeded Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

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Rafael Nadal vs Tsitsipas live streaming

All the Australian Open 2021 matches will be telecast live in India on the Sony Six SD and HD channels. Sony will also be offering Australian Open live streams, meaning that fans can watch the Rafael Nadal vs Tsitsipas live streaming on the SonyLIV app and website. The live scores of the games can be followed on the Australian Open website and Twitter page.

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Image Credits: Australian Open Twitter