Rafael Nadal Gets an Early Victory in the U.S. Open 2022
Rafael Nadal, a Spanish tennis player, came into the U.S. Open with one single goal; to play his best. That was seen in his first match against Australian Rinky Hijikata on Tuesday.
Although the game was quite tough for both players, Rafael, as usual, managed to get an early 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Hijikata.
This Spanish giant is the second best in the world and has won 19 championship games, including Tuesday’s victory; he now has 20 victories. Besides, he is a 22-time Grand Slam champion.
Health Concerns?
It will be remembered that Nadal once pulled out from the competition at Wimbledon, where he was headed to the semi-finals.
This was due to acute torn abdominal muscle pain. That was the worry of many that even this time round, he would have experienced such pains.
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However, from how he played his game on Tuesday, he never showed any signs of torn abdominal muscle. So, we hope he continues to play like that.
Although the withdrawal from Wimbledon due to his health concerns cannot be counted as a loss to him since he never entered the tennis court, it was a great loss for many of her spectators.
What Nadal Had to Say After the Game
From what Nadal said after the game to reporters, it was clear that he was super excited to be back on the court after waiting for long.
Here is what he said, “It’s been a long wait. For some time, I thought I might not be able to be back, so I am super happy. Night sessions are the best,”
He added, “I just have to be humble and accept the process, day after day in practices and matches and stay positive.”
Despite winning, Rafael Nadal needs to continue practicing and remaining focused for future tournaments; that is how he continues to be better than his competitors.
Regarding how he played the game against Hijikata, he was quiet to say that he never played the best though he tried. That means we are yet to see the better side of Rafael.
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He had to say, “I went through this tough moment, but then I think I played better, no?” Nadal asked reporters in the postgame press conference. “Of course, it was not perfect, but yeah, happy.”
How Was the Game Generally for Nadal?
You will be shocked that Nadal was also nervous before stepping into the court. He frankly told reports. Here is what he had to say about that.
“I think I started not that bad the first couple of games, but then I had some opportunities that I was not able to make it,” Nadal said.
He continued, “I think I didn’t play a good game with my serve. Then he had the break. Then I was a little bit nervous.”
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‘First match here in New York after three years, night session, it’s always exciting. Yeah, I went through this tough moment.”
“It’s always the same story: things are not perfect when you are not competing very often when you come back from injury.”
“You need to be humble enough to go through this process and accept that you need to fight and you need to accept that you going to suffer.”
“That’s what I did today,” Rafael Nadal said. “I am able to play again in two days, and I hope to play better.” That was when he was expressing his health concerns.
We wish I’m the best in the upcoming matches on Thursday.