Victory after “bad start”
Nadal survives bloody shock at US Open
09/02/2022 09:37 am
Rafael Nadal is through to the third round of the US Open. However, the road to get there is rocky – and bloody in the end. The Spaniard injured himself in the match against Fabio Fognini, but after a weak start he managed to cross the finish line with ease.
Second round games are usually routine for Rafael Nadal – but the Spanish tennis star will probably remember this match at the US Open in New York for a long time. The 22-time Grand Slam tournament winner was completely reeling in his arduous win over Italy’s Fabio Fognini for a set and a half, after losing the first set the 22-time Grand Slam winner fell behind three times with a break in the second. But then the 36-year-old fought his way out of the low and dominated the action – Nadal won 17 of the last 21 points of the second set to level the match.
When everything seemed to have been decided, Nadal injured himself in the fourth set when the score was 3-0: With a backhand hit, the racket hit his nose violently from the ground. “It was a dramatic moment in a dramatic match between the two long-time rivals,” wrote the professional association ATP in its report on the game between the two veterans.
“Happened with the golf club before”
The bleeding wound had to be treated during a medical break, after a short treatment by the physiotherapist, Nadal returned to the pitch and from then on played with a nose plaster – and suddenly got out of rhythm again, at least for a short time. However, the second in the world rankings quickly recovered and advanced to the third round with a 2:6, 6:4, 6:2, 6:1 victory. There he meets Richard Gasquet from France.
“It happened to me before with the golf club, but not with the tennis racket,” Nadal said afterwards, smiling about his faux pas. He feels “a little dizzy”, it hurts “a little”. The title favorite was not at all satisfied with “one of the worst starts to a match I’ve ever had”. He was “completely frustrated” and somehow tried to “stay positive”.
In 2015, the second round match between the two veterans in the third round of the US Open was very different: Nadal got off to a strong start and quickly gained a two-set lead over the Italian – in the end he left the arena after five sets as Loser. At least physically unharmed.