Rafael Nadal has had an extremely successful year in his return after several injuries to the top of professional tennis in the ATP, and when it comes to Grand Slams was very close to having an immaculate year, however, Monday’s loss to the surprising American tennis player Frances Tiafoe prevented an undefeated year in the four major tournaments of the sport.
Championships in Melbourne and Paris and injury in London
“At the beginning I thought I broke the nose” – Nadal after beating Fognini at US Open
Nadal won the first two Grand Slams of the year, in the Australian Open he ended up beating Daniil Medvedev in the final, coming from behind after losing the first two sets to win and become the single largest Grand Slam winner in history, later in his favorite tournament, Roland Garros, he showed his great dominance on clay and easily defeated the young Norwegian Casper Ruud in the final by 6-3, 6-3, 6-0.
A month later came Wimbledon, and in London Nadal did not win the title, but he did not lose a game either, since after defeating Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals in an epic five-set match, including a tie-break in the final, he had to abandon the tournament and not play in the semifinals against the controversial Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal muscle torn.
The return from injury and the impressive streak that came to an end
He returned from the injury a few days before the US Open but after wins in the first three matches against Rinky Hijikata, Fabio Fognini and Richard Gasquet, it was his turn to face the aforementioned Tiafoe, who won in four sets by 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 and 6-3.
Nadal’s anger with a journalist who accuses him of not complying with the rules
With that, Nadal’s streak of 16 consecutive Grand Slams reaching at least the quarterfinals came to an end, the fifth longest for a man in the Open Era, dating back to 1968.
Now Nadal will have the chance to rest a little with the intention, surely, to return at full strength to defend his championship in Australia next year, we will see what happens in the future of this active legend of world tennis.
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