World No.3 Rafael Nadal uncertain about returning to action after being shocked by USA’s 26th-ranked Frances Tiafoe in Last 16; shifts focus to birth of his first child
Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal fell to his earliest US Open loss in six years as he was knocked out by Frances Tiafoe on Monday night. Four-time US Open champion Nadal, bidding for a 23rd Grand Slam title, lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the last-16 to 26th-ranked Tiafoe. The American’s free-swinging performance conjured up 18 aces and 49 winners that flew past a sluggish Nadal on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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Enviable record
For Australian and French Open champion Nadal, it was a first Grand Slam loss of 2022 after an abdominal strain forced him to forfeit his Wimbledon semi-final. The defeat ended a run of 16 successive Slams where the Spaniard had made at least the quarter-finals. “I wasn’t able to push him [Alcaraz] back. Tennis is a sport of positions a lot of the time. You need to be very quick and very young. I am not in that moment anymore. I was not able to cause great damage. He was better than me,” said Nadal, 36.
The Spaniard said that he wasn’t sure when he will return to action. “I need to go back. I need to fix things. I don’t know when I am going to come back. I’m going to try to be ready mentally. When I feel I’ll be ready to compete again, I will be there,” said Nadal at the press conference.
Also Read: Serena Williams gets well-earned rest following US Open 2022 exit
Roller coaster year
Nadal has endured a roller coaster year. His two Slam titles have taken him one clear of Novak Djokovic, but his physical frailties have also hurt. Nadal suffered a stress fracture of the ribs in March before requiring daily pain-killing injections in his left foot ahead of his 14th French Open title in June. Then, his bid for a third Wimbledon crown was shattered by an abdominal injury. Nadal is due to be a father for the first time in the coming weeks, and that factors heavily in his future
on-court plans.
“Now I have to go home. I have more important things than tennis to attend to. Decisions will be made based on how everything goes in my personal life, which comes before my professional life. It’s been difficult for a few months, but I want to finish the year with something very important that is my first child,” added Nadal, who is scheduled to return at the Laver Cup in London from September 23.
16
No. of successive Grand Slams, before this US Open, where Nadal at least made the quarter-finals
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