Rafael Nadal plays Thanasi Kokkinakis on Wednesday in the second round of the 2014 Australian Open. The match starts at 10:00 p.m. ET. Watch the live stream or listen to the live radio broadcast via the links provided below.
World No. 1 Nadal conserved his energy on Tuesday, winning one set against Bernard Tomic before the Australian retired because of a bothersome left leg injury. Having dealt with injuries before, Nadal empathized with his opponent.
"I know how tough is this situation, I had the same a few years ago at this tournament," Nadal said, via the National Post. "Since the beginning, I saw a little bit he had some problems on the leg."
The limited playing time on the court could help Nadal in the long run. The 27-year-old Spaniard is in a loaded half, and less time on the court means less wear-and-tear on his body through the tournament.
Nadal's draw lumped him in with No. 26 Gael Monfils, No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro, No. 4 Andy Murray, No. 6 Roger Federer and No. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga; the Spaniard would likely have to defeat Murray, Federer or Tsonga in the semifinals to reach the championship round.
Before Nadal can begin thinking about what could be an exciting semifinal showdown, he must first get past 17-year-old Kokkinakis. The Australia native made his Grand Slam debut in the opening round against Igor Sijsling, who lost in four sets.
Kokkinakis is ranked No. 570 in the World, and he's the obvious underdog heading into Wednesday's match against Nadal. The two have never played against each other in any ATP tournament.
Watch the live stream HERE and HERE, or listen to the live radio broadcast HERE.
*Stats via ATPWorldTour.com.
