Tennis – Nadal trains in New York after an early Cincinnati loss.
Rafael Nadal claimed his fourth US Open crown in 2019 following a thrilling victory over Daniil Medvedev in the final. The Spaniard missed the previous two editions of the season’s last Major and will return to action in New York next week.
Nadal is already in New York, training for a couple of days following an early Cincinnati Masters exit to an eventual champion Borna Coric. Rafa will seek the fifth title at his second most successful Major and the ATP throne at 36.
Nadal leads the ATP Race to Turin after a 35-4 score in 2022, conquering two Major titles and having a chance to become world no. 1 again. Rafa’s main concern at the moment is his serve, suffering an abdominal injury at Wimbledon and struggling to serve correctly during the practice runs.
Also, he experienced an early exit in Cincinnati, heading to New York without momentum. Rafa skipped the second part of 2021 due to a foot injury and made a perfect comeback this year.
Rafael Nadal will seek the fifth US Open crown.
He claimed three consecutive titles at the start of the current season, including his first Australian Open crown in 13 years.
It pushed him in front of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic and gave him a boost for the upcoming months. With momentum on his side, Nadal lifted the trophy in Acapulco and reached the Indian Wells final for a perfect season start.
He played it with a fractured rib and lost to Taylor Fritz in straight sets, experiencing the first defeat in 2022. Rafa missed Monte Carlo and Barcelona and did not play at his usual level in Madrid and Rome, lacking form and matches.
Nadal shifted into a higher gear at the most significant scene and secured his 14th Roland Garros title to write the history books. Rafa beat Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev after thrillers and toppled Casper Ruud in the final in straight sets.
Eager to maintain that run at Wimbledon, Nadal reached the third consecutive All England Club semi-final, hoping to win the third straight Major. Still, he had to withdraw ahead of the Nick Kyrgios clash due to an abdominal injury.
Rafa decided to skip Montreal, and he suffered an early loss in Cincinnati. Nadal will be the 2nd seed in New York, battling for the ATP throne with Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud.
