Nadal and the injury: “When I breathe it’s like I have a needle in my chest”

Nadal’s extraordinary winning streak, which started at the beginning of 2022 and included the Slam number 21 triumph at the Australian Open, ended at 20. Rafa stopped in the final in Indian Wells against Taylor Fritz, weakened by his opponent and from a problem with the bibs remedied in the smifinal against Carlos Alcaraz. Three hours and 12 minutes of struggle that forced the 35 year old Nadal to give everything to overcome the 18 year old pupil of Juan Carlos Ferrero. Already at the end of the semifinal, Nadal had requested the intervention of the physiotherapist for an acute pain in the left side of the pectorals.

Pain

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On Sunday, during the final against Fritz, the situation worsened so much that his performance was compromised and forced him, between the first and second set, to have a doctor’s intervention. Rafa will miss Miami, as he had announced prior to his injury, and will return home to heal ahead of the season on earth of which he is the undisputed king. Nadal’s words after Sunday’s match were worrying: “I was in severe pain, even during the award ceremony – he explained -. I had difficulty breathing well, you have to understand if it is my side or something else. When I breathe, when I am I move, I feel a sharp pain, as if I had a needle stuck all the time. A pain that limits me a lot precisely because it involves breathing “.

Down to earth

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A pinch of concern for the next matches on clay, starting from the Masters 1000 in Montecarlo on April 10, are: “I’m sad because I couldn’t play the final at my level, but in the end we have to look forward. two special, extraordinary months. I have lived unforgettable moments that I never imagined I could have lived until a few months ago “.