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Wimbledon 2017: Rafael Nadal opponent John Millman compares defeat to game of Fifa on Instagram

Nadal had too much for his Australian opponent, who took his defeat in good humour

Mark Critchley
Tuesday 04 July 2017 14:11 BST
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John Millman could not resist n in-form Rafael Nadal
John Millman could not resist n in-form Rafael Nadal (Getty)

Rafael Nadal wasted little time on the opening day of Wimbledon 2017, securing a comprehensive 6-1 6-3 6-2 victory over John Millman in just an hour and 46 minutes.

Nadal, a two-time singles champion at the All England Club, was in imperious form for his first match on grass in two years, having missed last year’s tournament with a wirst problem.

The Spaniard, who enters the tournament on the back of his 10th French Open triumph, had too much for his Australian opponent, and Millman acknowledged as much on Monday evening.

The 137th-ranked men’s player took to Instagram after leaving Court One and compared his defeat to a game of Fifa, the popular football video game series.

“It was a tough Wimbledon for me this year,” he wrote on the social network. “What can I say. If it was Fifa he was playing on legendary level while I was kicking it at Semi-Pro!”


​Millman tested Dominic Thiem in the first round of last year’s US Open, pushing the world number 8 to five sets but could not resist an in-form Nadal.

Nadal will face the United States’ Donald Young in the second round. The 27-year-old booked his place after opponent Denis Istomin retired injured.

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