Nadal

Rafael Nadal reflects on his fourth-round loss against Frances Tiafoe at the US Open, where he was pursuing his 23rd Grand Slam title.

The lefty made the semi-finals at [Wimbledon](https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/wimbledon/540/overview) before withdrawing due to injury. [Fabio Fognini](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/fabio-fognini/f510/overview). 7 [Richard Gasquet](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/richard-gasquet/g628/overview). “I was not able to do anything, any of these things this afternoon. I had a Love-30 in the first set, second serve, I missed the return. “But at the end of the day I need to analyse myself more than the opponent. I had that break, then I had again a 15/40. At the end the only thing that happened is we went to the fourth round of the That's the only way to improve or that's the only way that I understand you are able to find solutions.” “I was not able to hold a high level of tennis for a long time. Or maybe I lost [other] things because I was not able to create this interior power after all that injuries. “We can make lamentations or we can complain now about a lot of things, but I don't think that [is] going to change any situation,” Nadal said.

Mats Wilander and Alex Corretja were both in awe of an “unbelievable” performance from Frances Tiafoe as he beat Rafael Nadal at the US Open.

Corretja added: “I think physically Nadal wasn’t at his best, he didn’t have enough energy to get behind the ball and dictate. “He is so quick on the court and then he was committed to his tactics from the first point to the last point. It was so important for him to believe he could do it. It’s so difficult to beat Rafa in this stadium and he did it. The backhand, I thought he wasn’t going to hit as hard as he needed to, and he did. “He put a lot of stress into Nadal’s game and he was missing a little more than we are used to, because he hasn’t played hardly any matches since Wimbledon.

It has taken until September, but Rafael Nadal finally lost a match at a Grand Slam in 2022 after he was dramatically bundled out of the US Open last night.

In these last couple of years when when the attention hasn't been on me I've been able to develop. I have a great team behind me and I've been putting the head down -- I'm happy where I am in life in general. Nadal is left on 22 Major titles, still one ahead of Novak Djokovic, currently barred from entering the US due to his unvaccinated status. The No. But then when the competition start, my level went down,’ he said. While he did not look in huge discomfort his serve was below par, responsible for nine double faults.

FRANCES TIAFOE became the first and only man to beat Rafael Nadal at a Grand Slam in 2022.

He added: "I played pretty scary tennis, I just backed myself the whole time. The 24-year-old told Daniela Hantuchova that he was "super emotional" after the win, speaking to Amazon Prime Video. [Tiafoe was in tears when he finally closed out the win](/sport/tennis/1665172/Frances-Tiafoe-crying-tears-Rafa-Nadal-US-Open-tennis-news), finding himself almost speechless in his on-court interview. And he couldn't have done it at a better time, performing in front of a packed Arthue Ashe Stadium crowd on Labor Day - bank holiday in the United States. "At 4-3 when I went up 40-0 my legs were like cement," he told the Arthue Ashe Stadium court, being interviewed by none other than James Blake himself. [Rafael Nadal](/latest/rafael-nadal) in the fourth round of the US Open.

Frances Tiafoe upset 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in the US Open 4th round in 4 sets.

In the fourth set, Nadal broke for a 3-1 lead with an inside-out forehand to the corner and then shouted toward his box. He added in a comment to the Spanish media: “The last few weeks have been tough. I put some bandage for the humidity, to stop the humidity on my hands. When I feel that I will be ready to compete again, I will be there.” He then suffered the abdominal injury at Wimbledon that kept him out for a month before he lost his first and only match at the U.S. Open and I faced a player that was better than me. He did not play the last two years due to the pandemic and injuries. That's the only way to improve or that's the only way that I understand you are able to find solutions. I was not able to hold a high level of tennis for a long time. Nadal and Djokovic have won 15 of the last 17 majors. “I don't know what to say right now,” Tiafoe said on court. Open encounter Monday afternoon, Frances Tiafoe sprinted past the net to his chair like Pete Rose taking first base after a walk.

In front of a rowdy home crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the 22nd seed became the first man to beat Nadal on court in a grand slam this year. It also marks the ...

As he digested a bitter end to a great, complicated year, Nadal brushed off questions about his preparation and the abdominal injury that meant he only played in one tournament before the US Open. “But days will pass and I’ll keep going as I’ve done my whole life and I’m confident I have the inner strength to do it again.” So to see him post that, I was like, ‘Do I retweet it as soon as he sent it?’ I was like, ‘You know what, I’m going to be cool and act like I didn’t see it and then retweet it three hours later.’” “It’s been a few months a little difficult in every way, this is the reality. Hype has followed him since he was a teenager but he has had to be patient in adulthood, watching as his contemporaries rise up above him in the rankings and waiting to experience such moments himself. Am I ever going to be able to say I beat one of them?’ Today I was like, ‘No, I’m going to do that.’ So now, it’s something to tell the kids, the grandkids, ‘Yeah, I beat Rafa.’ Hopefully I never play him again, but hope I end with a win.” The NBA star LeBron James, Tiafoe’s idol, was among those to pay tribute to Tiafoe’s display on Twitter. “My legs were like cement,” said Tiafoe of the lengthy 4-3 game. “I was telling my agent, I felt like the world stopped. I was already tearing. I’m beyond happy, I’m almost in tears,” said Tiafoe during his on-court interview. It also marks the first time since Wimbledon 2017 that Nadal has lost before the quarter-final stage of a grand slam.

Four-time US Open champion Nadal, bidding for a 23rd Grand Slam title, lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the last-16 to 26th-ranked Tiafoe. Rafael Nadal of Spain ...

"Cameron and I, we have known each other for a long time. "I don't know what to say, I'm so happy. I am not in that moment anymore." "I wasn't able to push him back. "It was two and a half hours, it was tough," said 24-year-old Rublev who had needed four hours and five sets to get past Denis Shapovalov in the third round. Four-time US Open champion Nadal, bidding for a 23rd Grand Slam title, lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the last-16 to 26th-ranked Tiafoe.