‘He lost 4 kgs!’ Coach Carlos Moya reveals SHOCKING details about Rafael Nadal’s quarterfinal match at Australian Open
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Rafael Nadal
On January 25, the 20 – time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal faced the young Canadian Denis Shapovalov under extreme heat in the quarterfinals in a tremendous five-setter ( 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 ). It is now reported that within the span of the match, Nadal had lost 4 kgs due to severe dehydration caused by Melbourne’s searing heat.
After winning the first and the second set, the unexpected stomach pain caused the Spanish player’s game to drop, resulting in him losing the following two sets consecutively. Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya later shared that Rafa has suffering because he had a minor heat stroke due to which he wasn’t physically 100% in the match.
“If you saw the match, from the end of the second set, Rafa’s level dropped. Physically speaking, we didn’t know what was wrong if the foot or something else. We realized it was a heat stroke; he doesn’t fare well in extreme heat and humidity,” Says Coach Carlos after the match.
Rafael Nadal lost 4 kilos during the Australian Open quarterfinal
The coach claims that “Given the condition he gave everything, he actually weighed four kilos less after the match. Even with everything that he ate and drank during the match, he lost four kilos. Such was the level of dehydration.” It was very clearly visible that Nadal was slightly limping in the third and the fourth sets and had cold sweats because of the pain.
Fortunately, since he remained calm and was able to get timely medical, Nadal was able to make a comeback in the fifth set and took a spot in the semifinals of the Australian Open 2022. His win was mainly influenced by his stable service, which he continued till the end of the match. “I was lucky that I was serving great in the fifth,” claimed Nadal.
After the win, Nadal said that he was “Completely destroyed” during the third set. However, his coach said to the media, El Partidazo de COPE, “This extra day of rest is a blessing. We are convinced that for the semifinals, he will be 100%”.
After the match, Denis Shapovalov had a positive attitude as he mentioned that “I’m happy with the way I was able to fight and come back.” He also accepted Nadal’s service in the fifth set. “Rafa did a good job in the last set,” Shapovalov noted. “Once he broke, he held his service games and served really big.“
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Varsha Srikumar
(135 Articles Published)