REVEALED: Grand Slams that Rafael Nadal has missed due to injuries
Rafael Nadal lost in the second-round match of the Australian Open 2023 and was knocked out. But this is not the first time he has had to lose or miss-out a Grand Slam tournament because of an injury. His career is a testimony of many misses and losses.
Follow Us
Rafael Nadal suffering due to an injury
Rafael Nadal and injuries have a close relationship. The Spaniard has lost multiple matches and at important tournaments because of injuries. Many times he had to sit out because of one injury or another. However, he never gave up and returned to the court stronger, more agile, and better than before.
There is hardly any body part of the 36-year-old which has not suffered an injury. But the will of the man is so great that even with extreme pain, he has found a way to win matches and churn title triumphs throughout his career.
Eminent sports journalist Luigi Gatto gave a list of times when he lost a match in a Grand Slam tournament because of an injury in his career. Also, those times when he had to miss out on the whole tournament or had to retire mid-tournament. He shared it on social media.
Rafael Nadal lost his last match because of a possible hip injury against Mackenzie McDonald in the second-round of the Australian Open 2023. But at the ripe age of 36, will the ‘King of Clay’ make another return and win his career’s 15th French Open title.
The Comeback King: Rafel Nadal
Rafael Nadal is a force to reckon with on the court. Hence, it is not a surprise that his opponents were only lucky to defeat him only when he got injured. His compatriot, David Ferrer was the first person to beat injured Nadal. He defeated him in the fourth round of the 2007 US Open. The current World No.2 was then suffering from a knee injury. Subsequently, many brilliant players were able to beat him because he was suffering from some injury.
However, there are many occasions when the 22-time Grand Slam champion had to retire from the tournament mid-way. He made the decision to forfeit the match five times in his career because of one injury or another. Nick Kyrgios got a walkover when the two-time Wimbledon champion decided against playing in the semi-final match at Wimbledon 2022 due to abdominal pain.
However, there have also been multiple occasions where he could not play in a Grand Slam tournament altogether because of an injury in his career. However, until now, whomsoever thought that he was out and would not be able to make it. He has proved them wrong.
Last year, too, nobody gave him a chance at the Australian Open 2022. But he won his career’s second Grand Slam title Down Under beating Daniil Medvedev in the final despite losing the first two sets. He subsequently won the French Open in 2022.
Incase you missed it:
Stay Updated!
Abhar Indorkar
(451 Articles Published)