The tennis player from Manacor has not had his best game after his return to the courts
Rafael Nadal He returned to the court last night after overcoming the abdominal injury that deprived him of the Wimbledon semifinals. He did it in Cincinnati, a tournament prior to the dispute of the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the year. His rival on the track was Croatian Borna Coric, number 152 in the world. For his part, the Spaniard arrived in position 3 of the ATP ranking, although with the aim of continuing to rise.
And it is that, as we have commented in these last days, Rafa Nadal had serious options to be number 1 again of the world. He did not have it easy at all, because for this he had to achieve victory in Cincinnati and that Medvedev did not even get through to the quarterfinals. But after the first game these options have completely disappearedeitherbecause the Spanish has not been at his best level.
Rafa Nadal warned about the state of his injury
Shortly before the tournament began in Cincinnati, Rafa Nadal spoke about how he was physically. And it is that injuries have been his main burden so far this year, since he has not been able to complete Wimbledon due to the abdominal injury that forced him to retire. But not only that, but the foot injury is still a big problem.
Faced with this situation, and knowing that there was great expectation for his return, Rafa Nadal wanted to calm things down. The man from Manacor assured that despite being recovered, he could not be expected to be at a spectacular level. And reason has not been lacking, because in his first game in the United States he has added a defeat that could have been avoidable.
Rafa Nadal asks for time for the US Open
The winner of 2 Grand Slams so far this year fell in three sets, but the result could have been different. In the first he had a point to take the victory, but he missed the volley that would have given him the first point of the match and then ended up delivering the set with a double fault. Finally, and despite winning the second, the Croatian tennis player ended up taking the victory.
After the match, Rafa Nadal acknowledged that he had not played at his best level and that he was not yet ready to win. But not only that, but he assured that he still needs several days to return better. And he will have time until the US Open, which is the next big goal. The great North American tournament will begin on August 29, so the one in Manacor still has time to get ready.