Rafael Nadal lost his first match in the 2024 season, to Australia’s Jordan Thompson on Friday. In what was a worrying sign, Nadal did not look at his best towards the end of the second set and in between the tiebreaker, Nadal was seen pointing at his hip towards his box. He seemed to suggest that the same area he had a successful surgery on in 2023, was affecting him and his game again. Is another big Rafael Nadal injury on the cards going ahead in the season?
Well, the Rafael Nadal injury is apparently not frighteningly serious at the moment, as the Spaniard mentioned in his post on Instagram after the match. However, Nadal was up 5-4 in the second set and had a match point too, squandered it away and gave a break of serve to Thompson. From that point on, the Spaniard did not look like the player who beat Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler in the previous two matches.
Nadal suffered from a niggle of sorts as after the second set, he took a slightly extended medical timeout. He did have a few good service games, but it wasn’t enough against a youngster who had a powerful baseline game and was making the 22-time Grand Slam champion run ragged for most of the points in the third set.
Such was the Rafael Nadal injury that during breaks in the third set after each game, Nadal was seen stretching his hips and thigh region on his designated chair, which is unlike him. For fans, pundits and commentators, these are worrying signs as many have expressed their heartbreak to see Nadal lose in that fashion.
Rafael Nadal himself has said that he felt a small sensation in his hips, which was not a good one. Nadal is expected to get some tests done and is keeping his fingers crossed that it is just a ‘charged muscle’ and nothing else. Earlier, the Spaniard also claimed in a press conference that there are chances that his comeback could take a disastrous turn.
Rafael Nadal on Instagram:
“If it’s only a charged muscle, it’s been a very positive week”
— Olly (@Olly_Tennis_) January 5, 2024
Rafael Nadal injury: How the loss could be a blessing in disguise for him
In 2016, another Rafael Nadal injury had cut short his season and the Spaniard decided to make his return at the Brisbane International 2017 to kickstart that season. Interestingly, Nadal won his first two matches, only to lose in the quarterfinals to Milos Raonic back then. But that did not affect his Australian Open campaign, as he used the time out to recover and his lessons from the tournament, to cruise to the finals, defying all odds and most expectations.
In 2024, that part of history has been repeated as Nadal also made it to this edition’s quarterfinals before losing a tightly-fought 3-set match. One thing is for sure, Rafael Nadal can never be counted out even if not at a 100 percent. The question is, will his tests come out positive for him to play and get back in court fully time that too in a short span of time? The Australian Open men’s singles first round is set to begin on January 14.
This loss too would give Nadal more time to recover from the strain of playing on hard courts and in such humid conditions in Brisbane, immediately on his comeback. It could also help him practise and strategise accordingly as well as learn from his errors to come out stronger at the Australian Open 2024.
