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Rafael Nadal (Image source- Twitter)
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Rafael Nadal's first match since pulling out of the Wimbledon semi-finals because of injury ended in defeat at the hands of Borna Coric which happened at the Cincinnati Open. The Man from Spain lost 7-6 (9-7) 4-6 6-3 to the Croatian.
Rafael Nadal begins his preparation for US Open 2022
Rafael Nadal is getting ready to play The US Open for the first time in three years as he shared a glimpse of his practice session which took place at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Spaniard recently made his return from an injury he suffered at Wimbledon but he went out early during the Cincinnati Open at the hands of eventual champion Borna Coric. The 2022 edition US Open will kick off on August 29 and finish on September 10.
Rafael Nadal will be wanting to clinch his record fifth US Open crown after having won titles at Flushing Meadows back in 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019. Taking to Instagram Rafael Nadal shared an image of himself and declared that he was focused ahead of the US open 2022. He wrote," First practice on Ashe… focus!”.
Here is the video of Nadal Practicing ahead of the US Open-
Hey Rafa, call down with your foot on that second forehand 😅
— rafael_nadal_by_hippo (@rnbyhippo22) August 22, 2022
Our guy is feeling good !!!
🎥: @DelfiNovillo via IG pic.twitter.com/6KI4rcZ1IZ
Following the defeat to Coric at Cincinnati, Rafael Nadal in his statement had said, “With a week-and-a-half to New York, it’s sad to not play here. I need to get into Grand Slam mode. I need to practice. I need to return better. I need days. It’s better to come back when you’ve spent a period of time outside and win your first match. I wasn’t ready enough to win the match today. The big thing is to stay healthy. It’s a difficult injury to manage. I need to take it step-by-step."
Rafael Nadal won his fourth US Open title way back in 2019, but after that, he has not taken part in the 2020 and 2021 editions. In 2020, Rafael Nadal decided against taking part in the final Grand slam event of the year citing COVID-19 concerns.