Rafael Nadal suffered a defeat on Wednesday evening in the second round of the masters tournament in Paris when he returned to the track. The 36-year-old Spaniard, number two in the world, lost in three sets to American Tommy Paul: 3-6, 7-6 (4) and 6-1.
Nadal and Paul lost their service in the third and fourth game of the first set, but Nadal’s break at 4-3 proved decisive. Also in the second set, Nadal and Paul lost their service game in the third and fourth game. After that there were no more breaks and the tiebreak made the decision. In the deciding set, Paul Nadal broke right into the first game. After that it went fast and Nadal couldn’t fight back.
The hard-court match in Paris lasted 2.5 hours and was Nadal’s first since September 5, when he was eliminated in the fourth of the US Open by American Frances Tiafoe.
After that, Nadal played a double in the Laver Cup with the retiring Roger Federer on September 23, but in the past period he focused mainly on his son, who was born three weeks ago.
At the same time, the Spaniard struggled with injuries this year. It was therefore unclear when Nadal would make his return on the track. This year, Nadal won the Australian Open and Roland Garros, taking him to a record 22 Grand Slam titles.
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