Rafael Nadal commented on his physical condition after yesterday's loss to Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals in Brisbane. The Spaniard had three match points but failed to capitalize on his chances and ultimately suffered a defeat. More worrying for his fans, however, was the medical break Matadora needed in the third set due to pain in his left thigh.
"I don't know exactly what the problem is. We'll see how I do when I wake up tomorrow. You must have noticed that I have been cautious in all my statements since the start of the tournament. This is because it is clear to me that after a year off the Tour it will be very difficult for me from a physical point of view to play in tournaments at the highest level. In such situations, you never know how the body will react. I have to accept reality as it is," said the Roland Garros record holder at the post-match press conference.
"Hopefully it's nothing serious and next week I'll be able to train and play at the Australian Open." However, the truth is that at the moment I am not completely sure of anything," the Spaniard added.
Nadal also revealed details about the pain he felt.
"It's in the same area as last year, but it's different. I feel it more in the muscles, whereas last year the problem was in the tendon. It certainly didn't happen the same way as last year as I felt a sudden sharp pain then, whereas now it didn't. The symptoms are like a simple muscle strain, but the fact that I felt the pain in the area I was having trouble with makes me worried. The best option would be that I've just overworked my muscles and need a few days off, but I don't know if that's the case yet."
“As you saw, in all three of my matches in Brisbane I was at a good level. A lot can happen to the body after a full year away from the game. I'm hoping it's just muscle strain. That would be perfectly normal under the circumstances. If that's the only problem, great."
"I didn't come to Australia to win titles, but to try to come back in the best possible way and lay a solid foundation for the upcoming part of the year. Hopefully by tomorrow or the day after tomorrow at the latest, my leg will be on the mend. If I still don't feel good after that, I'll get some tests done. Now I'll just try to stay calm and see what state I wake up in the next two days," concluded the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles. /BGNES
