It was an incredible season for the Spanish legend Rafael Nadal which ended with his win against Casper Ruud in his final group game on Thursday.
Rafael Nadal got off the blocks quickly this season as he won his first title in Melbourne leading up to the Australian Open. He followed it up with a sensational performance at the Australian Open and won his 21st Grand Slam title. It was also his second Australian Open after he came up trumps in the 2009 edition of the tournament.
The 36-year-old won his third title in a row by emerging victorious in the Mexican Open. Nadal defeated Cameron Norrie in the finals to capture the title. In the following tournament, the BNP Paribas Open, Nadal reached the final but finished runner-up after losing to Taylor Fritz. The southpaw later revealed that he had problems breathing. However, he mentioned clearly that Fritz deserved the win for playing better in the final.
Nadal skipped a few tournaments before returning to the court at the Madrid Open. He was ousted in the quarterfinals by the young and talented Carlos Alcaraz. Nadal crashed out in the round of 16 at the Italian Open following a loss to Denis Shapovalov. The former world No. 1 found his rhythm in his favorite Grand Slam tournament – the French Open. He dropped only three sets en route to a record-extending 14th title at the clay-court major.
The Second Half Struggles
The second half of the season saw Rafael Nadal struggle with injuries and hence, lack of game time. He endured a 9 mm tear in his abdomen while playing in the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships.
This injury stopped him from taking further part in the competition he was playing after three years. Nadal pulled out prior to his semi-final encounter against Nick Kyrgios in the grass-court major. The King of Clay made a comeback at the Western & Southern Open with tweaks in his service technique. This was due to his abdominal injury. Things didn’t work out as planned as Nadal lost to Borna Coric in three sets.
Nadal entered the US Open as the second seed. He was the favorite to win the competition. However, he did not start the tournament on a great note. He defeated Rinky Hijikata and Fabio Fognini in the first couple of rounds but didn’t play anywhere near his best. After pulling off a win in straight sets against Richard Gasquet, it seemed as if Nadal has finally found some momentum. Well, that did not age well as the local favorite Frances Tiafoe pulled off a stunning upset win in the round of 16. The youngster out-powered Nadal with his speed across the court and the powerful serves and returns. Tiafoe hit 18 aces en route to his win in four sets.
Nadal was part of the formidable team that represented Europe at the Laver Cup. He had legends like Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Novak Djokovic on his side while young talents like Cameron Norrie, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Matteo Berrettini were also on the team. Nadal and Federer teamed up in the latter’s final tour-level match to face the team of Tiafoe and Jack Sock. The star-studded team lost the match. Team World won the competition for the first time as Team Europe failed to make an impact.
Nadal competed in the Paris Masters but lost in his first match in the round of 32 against Tommy Paul in three sets. He took part in the ATP Finals hoping to win his first title at the season-ending tournament. He was placed with the likes of Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Casper Ruud in the green group. Fritz and Auger-Aliassime won their respective matches against Nadal and it knocked the veteran out of the competition. Nadal finished the season with a win against Casper Ruud in his final match in Turin.
Some Highlights from the season
- Won 20 matches in a row at the start of the season.
- Won a record-extending 14th French Open title.
- Was Roger Federer’s partner in the Swiss legend’s final professional match that came at the Laver Cup.
- Climbed back to No. 2 in the ATP rankings on 3 October 2022.
- Went 22-1 in Slam matches.
- For the first time since 2009, Nadal lost four consecutive matches. However, that streak of losses ended with his win against Casper Ruud in the ATP Finals.
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