ATP Washington: Rafael Nadal complains of pain in his foot
Rafael Nadal has made a successful start in the Washington ATP 500 event. Although not only opponent Jack Sock demanded a lot from him at the beginning.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Aug 05, 2021, 08:23 pm
In the end, it was a trademark Rafael Nadal forehand that should decide a surprisingly competitive second-round match at the ATP 500 event in Washington in favor of the Spaniard. The 20-time major champion struggled on his return to the tour - Nadal had not played a match since his semi-final defeat in Roland Garros against Novak Djokovic - against Jack Sock over long stretches of the game, finally winning the tie-break of the third set.
In addition to a Jack Sock in a wonderful playful mood, it was especially pain in the foot that bothered the Mallorcan. "The game wasn't easy, I think I started the first set more or less well, but then I was bad in the second set. That's when I started to suffer too much because of my foot."
Nadal meets Harris
In this phase, Jack Sock also began to play very good tennis, although his own strokes no longer had the desired effect. "It was difficult, but I finished the game better, that's the most important thing," said Nadal, who will meet Lloyd Harris in the round of 16, who has already defeated Dominic Thiem this year. "I hope I'll be ready tomorrow."
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Apart from the pain in the foot, the Malorquin feels in good shape, as he emphasized: "My fitness is fine, I just have to have a little less pain in the foot, that's the truth. Physically I feel more or less good. It it is clear that I need more games like this to be in better shape after having not competed in so long. "
Nadal can fall back on experience
A situation like this is by no means new territory for the veteran. Rather, Nadal knows exactly what he has to do now - especially with regard to the US Open: "I've seen all of this many times in my career, so I'm not worried. It's also about playing these types of games Winning, it helps you get better. If I can also improve with my foot, I think the rest will come up step by step. "
In any case, the pain in the foot would not require another break from play, gave Nadal the all-clear: "I've rested long enough, so it's not about resting any more, it's time to continue. But it's not time to train a lot because I've already played a three-hour game and have to be ready for tomorrow. "