Rafael Nadal Produces a Mini Scare for Tennis Fans After a Nasty Fall in ATP Bastad Ahead of Paris Olympics
Can injuries pause a bit for Rafael Nadal’s comeback? Well, it looks difficult. The Spanish legend is making a comeback at the Swedish Open after missing the Wimbledon Championships owing to injury. He is currently playing Cameron Norrie in the second round of the tournament. However, things took a turn for the worse mid-match.
During the second set, Nadal had a nasty fall after trying to return a ball that was out of his reach. While he had won the opening set 6-4, the Spaniard was doing everything he could to continue the momentum. However, the nasty slip shook him up and he took a medical timeout. This appeared to be a major concern for him ahead of the Paris Olympics. Nonetheless, Nadal emerged stronger from this setback, like he does often, and ended with just a few scratches on his shoulder and elbow.
Like the first set, Nadal was dominant in his play despite being shaken up after the fall. He went on to win the match with an identical scoreline of 6-4, 6-4. With this, he breezed into the quarterfinals and will take on Mariano Navone next. This is Nadal’s first tournament after his French Open first-round loss against Alexander Zverev. Despite this, Nadal looked like he was playing some of the best tennis this year after putting on a solid performance.
oh dear Rafa fell pic.twitter.com/PQrfuJu3rR
— Del (@Stroppa_Del) July 18, 2024
Along with singles, Nadal is also participating in doubles with an eye on the Paris Olympic Games. Partnering with Casper Ruud, he has reached the semifinal of the Swedish Open. Following his win today, Nadal looked in good spirits and eager to win another title in what could be his final year on the ATP Tour.
Rafael Nadal still wants to keep improving
Having won 22 Grand Slam titles, Nadal is still hungry for success. As a result, he’s giving his all despite injury issues cropping up frequently. Moreover, he still admits that he has scope for improvement. During the post-match interview after his win over Norrie, Nadal expressed satisfaction with his performance but admitted that he wants to get better and better.
Nadal said, “Great feelings. I’ve been a while without playing on the Tour, since Roland Garros. To have the chance to compete well against a great player like Cameron is a great feeling. I think I played in some moments good tennis, in some moments I need to play a little bit more aggressive, but that is part of the journey today.”
The Spaniard has had an on-and-off year due to constant physical troubles. While he missed the Australian Open and the Wimbledon Championships, Nadal played at the French Open but lost in the opening round. He further went on to add, “I haven’t been competing very often, so matches and victories like today help. To be in rhythm the whole match and hold the pressure on the opponent the whole match, that’s something that I need to improve, because I didn’t play enough.”
For now, Nadal has managed to shrug off the injury concerns due to his nasty fall. However, it remains to be seen how he performs in the upcoming matches, with the Paris Olympics around the corner.
