Image Credits - Express
Rafael Nadal suffered a shock defeat against Denis Shapovalov at the Italian Open round of 16 and fans were quick to suggest that the Spaniard’s supreme reign on the clay court may have come to an end.
Earlier on Thursday, Rafael Nadal was eliminated from the Italian Open last 16 by Denis Shapovalov. The 21-time Grand Slam winner initially dominated the first set before succumbing 1-6 7-5 6-2 to the Canadian. It was the earliest Nadal exited the tournament since 2008.
Nadal appeared to struggle with a foot injury during the game and never really looked to recover from it during the match. The injury will also be a cause of concern for the Spaniard ahead of the French Open.
On the other hand, the win for Shapovalov was another bold statement made by the 23-year-old. He will now face Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open. But fans on social media were quick to react to Nadal’s exit from the tournament. Some even suggested that the Spaniard’s reign on the clay court may have come to an end.
On Twitter, one said, “I think we may have just witnessed Nadal’s end of dominance on the clay court. He was beaten by Alcaraz in Madrid and now Shapovalov in Italy” while another added, “Wow. Nadal clearly looked like he couldn’t compete in the final stages against Shapovalov. Age is certainly catching up, no?” A third commented, “Sad to see Nadal get beat so easily on clay. More worrying is the injury he picked up.”
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