Rafael Nadal is hoping he will be able to compete in the Australian Open despite requiring medical attention during a tough defeat to Jordan Thompson at his return event.
Rafael Nadal appeared confident in securing another victory in straight sets at the Brisbane International, until he missed a backhand overhead and lost his first match point in the 10th game of the second set.
Nadal had two additional opportunities in the tie-break, but was unsuccessful in converting either of them. As a result, his opponent from Australia made a comeback and ultimately won the match with a score of 5-7, 7-6, (6), after a lengthy three hours and 25 minutes.
More concerning was the off-court medical time-out Nadal took at 1-4 in the deciding set, although he was able to continue without too much apparent discomfort. The 37-year-old had surgery on the psoas tendon in his left hip in June after being sidelined since suffering an injury at last January’s Australian Open and revealed the latest problem is in the same area.
“I am experiencing muscle fatigue,” he stated. “It’s definitely not as severe as it was last year because when it occurred, I felt a significant difference right away. Today, I didn’t feel anything. The only issue is that being in the same place makes you a little more anxious than usual.”
“I need to wait and see how I feel in the morning. We have been discussing positive topics lately, which is why I am not excessively optimistic when I speak.”
I have been speaking with great caution because I am aware that after a year, it can be challenging for the body to participate in tournaments at a top level. When faced with increasing difficulties, one cannot predict how the body will respond.
“I hope that it is not a significant matter and that I will have the opportunity to practice next week and compete in Melbourne. To be honest, I am not completely certain about anything at the moment.”
Thompson is set to compete against the second-ranked player, Grigor Dimitrov, in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, the top-ranked player, Holger Rune, will go up against Russian player Roman Safiullin.
