Indian Wells 2022: Rafael Nadal reveals he suffered possible rib injury during final

The Spaniard said that he felt a lot of pain during the match and had a hard time breathing and that the pain made him feel dizzy.

Rafael Nadal in a file photo. (Image: Twitter/Australian Open)
By Nilavro Ghosh | Mar 22, 2022 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

American tennis player Taylor Fritz arguably recorded the biggest win of his career on Monday when he overcame Rafael Nadal in the final of the 2022 Indian Wells. The scoreline at the end of the match was 6-3 7-6 (7-5) in the American’s favor. The 24-year-old was overcome with emotion after defeating one of the greatest the sport has ever seen and becoming only the second American to win the competition after Andre Agassi in 2001. After the match ended, Nadal revealed that he had accepted his defeat before the end of the tie as he was feeling severe discomfort in his chest, a probable injury to his ribs.

Read More – Boris Becker news: Tennis legend set to face trial over unsettled debts

The Spaniard said that he felt a lot of pain during the match and had a hard time breathing. He also said that the pain made him feel dizzy and as a result, he could not deliver his 100% in the game. “I had pain, honestly. I had problems breathing, and I do not know if it was something on the rib. I do not know yet. When I was breathing and moving, it was like a needle all the time inside here,” Nadal said as per Tennis World.

I got dizzy a bit because of that pain. It’s a kind of pain that limits me a lot. It’s not only about pain; I do not feel very well because it affects my breathing. It’s more than being sad about the loss; that’s something I accepted immediately, already before the match ended. It’s more about that I’m suffering a bit, honestly,” he added.

The numbers of the match

Fritz scored one ace while Nadal scored a couple and the two committed the same number of double faults, three. Nadal’s win percentage on the first serve (56%) was lower than his opponent’s (69%). However, on the second serve, the Spaniard came out stronger with a win percentage of 61% as Fritz could only manage 54%.

Read More – Indian Wells 2022: Taylor Fritz beats Rafael Nadal in straight sets to win historic title

One thing that worked out pretty well for the 24-year-old was his conversion of break points, making the most of four out of his available nine. Nadal, on the other hand, could only manage to convert two out of his available 10. That is something quite uncharacteristic from the Spanish tennis legend. Things were pretty tight when it came to service games as well as Fritz won eight and Nadal won seven.





Related Post

HIGHLIGHTS

Buzzwords