Two-time Wimbledon champion, Rafael Nadal stopped Matt Ebden’s run at the Queens Tournament on Wednesday evening, but the Australian was far from disgraced in the 6-4 6-4 result.
Ebden produced a strong serving display and applied pressure to the current world number one from the back of the court.
“Overall the match was good,” Ebden said afterwards.
“I was disappointed that I got broken early and let him have a lead. He is obviously incredibly tough to stop once he is in front.
“But overall I thought I served and played well, and matched him in most areas.
“I’ll definitely take a lot out of the match, I’ll learn and continue to improve to get to the top level.”
Looking to be the leader in the revival of men’s tennis in Australia, Ebden will now turn his attention to Wimbledon, where he will attempt to qualify for the main draw.