TENNIS – Rafael Nadal has come back from lengthy injuries time and time again in his career. Every time doubts are raised as to whether Rafa Nadal will be the same player than before and every single time the critics have been silenced. In Rio de Janeiro Nadal was making his second appearance of the season after a long spell on the sidelines. Bruno Bergareche Sans
Rafael Nadal has come back from lengthy injuries time and time again in his career. Every time doubts are raised as to whether Rafa Nadal will be the same player than before and every single time the critics have been silenced. In Rio de Janeiro Nadal was making his second appearance of the season after a long spell on the sidelines last season due to injuries. The Mallorcan was defending his title at the 500 event and did notch up notable wins against Bellucci, Carreño and Cuevas, three accomplished claycourters and was well on his way to another good win against Fognini until his fitness let him down.
“I think I had good moments and bad moments. Physically I’m combining good moments with bad moments. I’m lacking physical consistency. I didn’t feel too good physically after the second set. It’s true that it is very humid, you can say what you want, but I’m getting tired sooner than usual. And I didn’t have a problem with my groin, I was simply cramping in various parts of my body. It’s strange because I’ve hardly had any problems with cramps in my career, so it surprises me. I’m working well, with the right attitude, trying to improve things, but I’m on the path and I think I’m closer than I was a month ago to finding the standard of play I’m looking for”, said Nadal of his fitness frailties in Brazil.
Nadal who has only played 20 matches since July added that “it is normal to struggle physically when I’m competing. Even if I train, when you compete it’s more demanding physically. To get through extreme situations you need to experience all of these phases that I’m going through in the last tournaments I’ve played. I’m not worried, I understand that these are processes I have to go through”.
After not defending his title, Nadal has dropped to number four in the rankings, but the Spaniard isn’t worried about that as much as he is about rekindling his form. “Dropping in the ranking is normal when you get injured and have no points for almost seven months in the season. You either win everything from the moment you return or you drop places, which is what is going to happen. It’s logical. My fight isn’t in the entry ranking but in the race. I’ll come out of this batch in eighth or ninth place and from there I’ll have to work to get back up the rankings. That’s the only thing I can focus on now”.
Next up for Rafa Nadal is the ATP 250 event in Buenos Aires where he opens his campaign against Montañes or a qualifier.
