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- W czwartej partii po jednym ze zrywów coś poczułem. Wiedziałem, że jest źle, ale nie zdawałem sobie sprawy, jak bardzo - mówił Rafael Nadal, który nie dokończył ćwierćfinału Australian Open 2018 przeciw Marinowi Ciliciowi.
Marcin Motyka
Marcin Motyka
23 Stycznia 2018, 16:53
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Getty Images / Mark Kolbe / Na zdjęciu: Rafael Nadal
Mecz Rafaela Nadala z Marinem Ciliciem przez 4,5 seta stał na niebotycznym poziomie. Obaj prezentowali tenis najwyższej jakości, godny ćwierćfinału turnieju wielkoszlemowego. Ale w połowie czwartej partii Hiszpan poprosił o przerwę medyczną z powodu bólu uda. Wrócił do gry, lecz utykał. Po kilku kolejnych gemach przerwał rywalizację. Ostatecznie pojedynek zakończył się wygraną Chorwata 3:6, 6:3, 6:7(5), 6:2, 2:0.


Australian Open: Rafael Nadal nie dokończył meczu z Marinem Ciliciem. Chorwat w półfinale
- Od trzeciego seta zacząłem odczuwać zmęczenia mięśnia, ale byłem w stanie grać normalnie, bez żadnych ograniczeń - wyjaśniał Hiszpan na konferencji prasowej. - W czwartej partii po jednym ze zrywów coś poczułem. Wiedziałem, że jest źle, ale nie zdawałem sobie sprawy, jak bardzo.

Przed startem Australian Open Nadal zmagał się z kontuzją kolana. Uraz, jakiego doznał we wtorek, dotyczy jednak mięśnia uda. - Z kolanem wszystko jest w porządku. Mój poprzedni mecz trwał 3,5 godziny, ten wtorkowy także ponad trzy i byłem w stanie normalnie biegać. Boli mnie mięsień, ale trudno mi dokładnie określić, co mi dolega. W środę tu, w Melbourne, przejdę rezonans i będziemy wiedzieć więcej - mówił.

- To dla mnie trudny moment - kontynuował. - Bardzo ciężko pracowałem, aby tu zagrać. Uważam, że byłem dobrze przygotowany. Myślę, że grałem dobrze. Doszedłem do ćwierćfinału, tracąc tylko jednego seta. Oczywiście, ten pojedynek mógł potoczyć się różnie. Mogłem wygrać, ale też przegrać, bo on grał świetnie, znakomicie serwował i dobrze uderzał z linii końcowej. Ale prowadziłem 2-1 w setach i walczyłem.

Dla 30-latka z Majorki to drugi w karierze krecz w turniejach wielkoszlemowych. Poprzednim przedwcześnie poddanym meczem było starcie z Andym Murrayem w ćwierćfinale Australian Open 2010. - Miałem okazję, by awansować do półfinału turnieju wielkoszlemowego i dalej walczyć o tak ważny dla mnie tytuł. Jestem osobą nastawioną pozytywnie, ale nie pierwszy raz w karierze straciłem szansę. Spotyka mnie to częściej niż innych. Z drugiej strony zdobyłem też więcej niż wielu pozostałych tenisistów. Ale kto wie, ile bym wygrał, gdyby nie kontuzje.

- Ktoś, kto rządzi rozgrywkami, powinien się zastanowić nad tym, co się dzieje. W ostatnim czasie wielu tenisistów doznało kontuzji. Nie wiem, czy w większym stopniu nie powinniśmy pomyśleć o zdrowiu tenisistów i czy nie za dużo gramy na twardych nawierzchniach. Na razie jesteśmy zawodowymi tenisistami, ale po tenisie też jest życie - dodał lider rankingu ATP.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- One of the fittest athletes in tennis, Rafael Nadal struggled to walk as he entered the media room at the Australian Open following his loss in the quarterfinals Tuesday night. He stepped gingerly onto the two stairs that led to the table where he would answer questions. Nadal grimaced in pain as he lowered his body to sit. It was difficult to watch.

Only 30 minutes earlier, the crowd at Rod Laver Arena was waiting in anticipation for the start of the fifth set between Nadal, the top-seed here in Australia, and Marin Cilic, the No. 6 player in the world. The high-quality play between the two, at that point, was worthy of a championship match.

And just like that, it was over.

After Cilic broke Nadal to give him a 2-0 lead in the final frame, the Croatian pumped his hand in celebration not realizing what was going on. Then he caught a glimpse of Nadal approaching the chair umpire, signaling a sudden and unexpected retirement to seal a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 2-0 win.

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Nadal retires against Cilic in Aussie quarters
Rafael Nadal is out of the Australian Open after retiring in the fifth set of his quarterfinal match with Marin Cilic with an upper right leg injury. Cilic will play Kyle Edmund, who upset No. 3-ranked Grigor Dimitrov, in the semifinals.


ICYMI at Australian Open: Kyle Edmund making people forget all about Andy Murray
Move over, Andy Murray, because Britain has someone else leading the way at the Australian Open. Isn't that right, Kyle Edmund?


Australian Open tournament schedule, scores and coverage
Get the 2018 Australian Open tennis tournament's dates, TV schedule, news coverage, live scores and results on ESPN.

What a shame. Nadal was making a bid to become the first men's player in the Open era to win each of the Grand Slam events twice. And he was making his run in a tournament that's featured huge upsets in both the men's and women's field.

Needless to say, the Nadal-Roger Federer rematch from a year ago is not happening. Instead, Nadal's immediate future will be an MRI on Wednesday to figure out the extent of an injury that he indicated was in his upper right leg.

With his unexpected departure, Nadal took a parting shot at tennis officials in the final question of the Q&A with the media after being forced to retire from a Grand Slam event for just the second time of his career.

"Somebody who is running the tour should think a little bit about what's going on," Nadal said. "Too many people are getting injured. If we keep playing on this very, very hard surfaces what's going to happen in the future with our lives."

It's been a week in which Nadal has had several complaints. Last week, his targets were the heat (he claimed it was too dangerous in the midst the two-day heat wave on Thursday and Friday) and the preferential treatment some players received to avoid playing in extreme conditions.

Both justifiable concerns.

Before Tuesday, Nadal never mentioned any kind of health concerns over the first four rounds, which seemed to be encouraging news. He ended last year early with a knee injury and decided to skip the Australian Open tune-up events in Brisbane and Sydney.


This was only Rafael Nadal's second retirement in a Slam; the other came against Andy Murray here in the 2010 Aussie quarterfinals. WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images
Nadal, whose only Australian Open win came in 2009, appeared primed to make a return trip to the finals. He had dropped just one set all week. And he was playing a semifinal opponent in Cilic whom he had beaten five of the six times they had played.

Cilic's only career win against Nadal came in 2009, at a time when the current defending US Open and French Open champion was recovering from knee and abdominal ailments.

In a match that was competitive early Wednesday (Nadal won an exciting third-set tiebreaker to take a 2-1 set lead), the world No. 1 said he started to feel pain in the next frame. He took a medical break in the fifth game of that set and said he had limited his mobility the rest of the match.

It wasn't long afterward that Nadal approached the chair umpire and shook his hand. It stunned nearly everyone in the arena, most of whom probably never saw the gesture.

View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter

Rafa Nadal
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@RafaelNadal
Sadly leaving the #ausopen tonight. I’ll get an MRI tomorrow morning to see what is the injury. Thanks for the support to all my fans

3:03 PM - Jan 23, 2018
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"It's very unfortunate because Rafa is always fighting hard, always gives his best on the court," Cilic said. "He played a good tournament. Obviously, it's very sad for him to finish the way he did."

Sad for Nadal but an amazing opportunity for Cilic on a day in which the No. 3 seed, Grigor Dimitrov, was upset by Kyle Edmund of Great Britain. Cilic will play Edmund in a semifinal Thursday.

Cilic, in beating a world No. 1 for the second time in his career, reached his fifth Grand Slam semifinal. And in this upset-filled tournament where the remaining players in the men's field feature Roger Federer and a bunch of other guys who don't really scare you (Edmund, Tennys Sandgren, Hyeon Chung and Tomas Berdych), Cilic has to like his chances.


For the fourth time in his career, Rafael Nadal lost a Grand Slam match when leading two sets to one. Michael Dodge/Getty Images
"For me a big focus is to continue with my own game," Cilic said of playing Edmund. "Hopefully I'm going to have another great match."

As for Nadal, who knows what's next. After shaking hands with Cilic, he walked over to his bench and slammed one of his wrist bands to the ground, a sign of the disgust he felt in being forced to retire.

Later, in the interview room, Nadal couldn't really pinpoint what happened to this body.

He came in to tournament looking fit and trim. His massive and well-defined arms were on full display as he wore a sleeveless shirt throughout the tournament.

He got through his first four matches in a relative breeze. But it all came to an end abruptly, a sudden departure for a guy who would normally have to be carried off the court.

"I worked hard to be here," Nadal said. "We did all the things that we believed were the right things to do to be ready."

Durante un acto organizado por el Banco Sabadell en Alicante Rafa Nadal ha confirmado, tras la lesión que le obligó a abandonar el Open de Australia, que reaparecerá en Acapulco a finales de febrero, donde defiende 300 puntos, y que también jugará los Masters 1000 de Indian Wells y Miami: "Fue una rotura pequeña, pero fue imposible seguir".
Calendario ATP 2018

Pese a que confirmó que estará presente en los próximos torneos de Acapulco, Indian Wells y Miami, el balear señaló que su gran reto es llegar en plenitud a la temporada de tierra batida, considerando la gira de tierra y Roland Garros como los grandes objetivos y la "época más imporante del año".

"Los cambios drásticos de pista son poco aconsejables. Mi prioridad ahora es estar sano y poder elegir el calendario que crea más conveniente", comentó el balear, quien confió en la victoria española en la eliminatoria ante Gran Bretaña. El número uno del mundo dijo que su mayor ilusión es seguir compitiendo y que no hará nada raro para defender el primer puesto del ránking internacional.


VIDEO - Nadal, tras retirarse lesionado: "Alguien del circuito debería pensar un poco que está pasando"

01:38
Nadal tuvo palabras de elogio para Roger Federer, al que felicitó por su vigésimo título del Grand Slam, y destacó la buena sintonía entre ambos al señalar que "esto es un deporte y la rivalidad se acaba en la pista".

El tenista también anunció su intención esta temporada de formar parte del equipo de la Copa Davis, ya que considera que hay una "oportunidad" este año de volver a ganarla, si bien matizó que lo primero será su salud. Nadal admitió que España ha vivido "25 ó 30 años muy buenos a nivel de tenis y que es posible que ahora llevamos cuatro o cinco parados". Además, pidió que no se compare a las nuevas generaciones con Federer, Djokovic o él "porque en la historia del tenis nunca coincidieron tres jugadores que ganaron tanto".

Garbine Muguruza i Rafael Nadal zostali uznani sportowcami 2017 roku w Hiszpanii. Specjalne nagrody odebrali podczas uroczystej gali zorganizowanej przez "Mundo Deportivo".

Rafael Nadal wygrał w zeszłym sezonie Rolanda Garrosa i US Open oraz powrócił na pierwszą lokatę w rankingu ATP. Z kolei Garbine Muguruza triumfowała na kortach Wimbledonu i jako druga Hiszpanka w historii osiągnęła pozycję liderki klasyfikacji WTA.
- Jestem bardzo szczęśliwa z tego, że jestem tutaj pierwszy raz i mogę odebrać to piękne wyróżnienie za tak wspaniały i emocjonalny dla mnie rok. Jestem bardzo dumna, że zostałam zgłoszona. To nagroda za ciężką pracę - powiedziała na uroczystej gali Garbine Muguruza.

Triumfatorka Wimbledonu 2017 oceniła aktualny poziom hiszpańskiego tenisa. - Sądzę, że w ostatnich latach był on bardzo wysoki - przyznała. Razem z nią nagrodę dla sportowca roku odebrał Nadal. - Rafa zawsze jest wspaniały. Razem osiągnęliśmy pierwszą pozycję w rankingu. To wielka sprawa dla Hiszpanii - stwierdziła.

Muguruza nie miała udanej inauguracji sezonu. Problemy z udem dały się jej we znaki podczas występów w Australii. - Czuję się już o wiele lepiej. W Australii miałam kilka chwil grozy, ale to część naszej pracy. Prawdą teraz jest, że czuję się dużo lepiej - powiedziała Hiszpanka, która weźmie udział w turniejach WTA w Dosze i Dubaju.

Rafael Nadal ma być gotowy na występ w turnieju ATP World Tour 500 na kortach twardych w Acapulco. Hiszpan rozpoczął już treningi przed wylotem do Meksyku.
REKLAMA


Rafael Nadal: Rekord 20. tytułów wielkoszlemowych Federera jest nieprawdopodobny, ale nie nieosiągalny
Z powodu kontuzji pierwszego stopnia mięśnia biodrowo-lędźwiowego Rafael Nadal skreczował w ćwierćfinałowym pojedynku Australian Open 2018 z Marinem Ciliciem. Po powrocie na Majorkę triumfator 16 turniejów Wielkiego Szlema wypoczywał, a następnie poddał się krótkiemu leczeniu.
- To drobny uraz, którego wyleczenie wymaga czasu i to właśnie teraz robimy. Na chwilę obecną moje plany startowe pozostały bez zmian. Myślę, że będę w stanie polecieć do Meksyku, aby zagrać w Acapulco - powiedział Nadal, który podczas gali organizowanej przez "Mundo Deportivo" odebrał razem z Garbine Muguruzą nagrody dla najlepszych sportowców 2017 roku.

Turniej w Acapulco rozpocznie się 26 lutego. Jeśli Hiszpan w nim nie wystąpi, to straci na rzecz Rogera Federera pierwsze miejsce w rankingu ATP. Aktualnie ma przewagę 155 punktów nad Szwajcarem, ale w zeszłym roku dotarł w Meksyku do finału, za który otrzymał 300 punktów.

"It's a small injury that needs time and rest and recovery, and that's what we're doing"
By AFP

Last Updated: 06/02/18 2:43pm

Rafael Nadal expects to be back playing competitive tennis by the end of the month, the world No 1 revealed on Monday.

The 31-year-old was forced to pull out of his Australian Open quarter-final against Marin Cilic in the fifth set two weeks ago due to a thigh injury.

"It's a small injury that needs time and rest and recovery, and that's what we're doing," Nadal said at the inauguration of a specialised tennis clinic in Madrid.

Like all things in life, not everything goes your way in tennis -- even if you're the No.1 player in the world.

Rafael Nadal experienced that at the Australian Open last month. The Spaniard was forced to retire in the fifth set of his quarter-final match against eventual finalist Marin Cilic due to a leg injury.

But Nadal has a supporter in his corner to lift his spirits. A 92-year-old fan half-way around the world wrote a letter to Rafa, urging the ATP World Tour No.1 to get well soon and wishing him future success on the court.

"Dear Rafa, in December, I wrote you a letter and sent it to your Balearic Islands Academy in Spain," wrote the woman from Durango, Mexico. She did not provide a name.

"I know you're busy, running all over the place, and maybe you didn't receive it. I'm a 92-year-old woman, tennis player and ardent fan. I watch all your matches; if they're at dawn, I set my alarm clock to be sure I'm up in time to watch you play.

"I'm truly sorry for what happened in Australia, and I hope you make a full recovery. I'm aware you'll be in Acapulco at the end of the month and I wish I could go but it's difficult for me to travel these days. It would give me tremendous pleasure if you could respond to my letter someday."

The woman's great granddaughter took a photo of the letter and posted it on Twitter with a message.
"My great grandmother is Nadal's #1 fan and she sends letters to him all the time," Debora Mansur (@Deboramansurr) wrote via Twitter. "She hasn't gotten an answer from him yet. I wrote a message here for Rafa. It would make my great grandmother's day if we can get Nadal to read this please!"

Debora's message received 13,000 likes and was retweeted 16,000 times.

Two days later, Debora and her great grandmother received the response they were waiting for.
"Dear Debora, please send my thanks to your great grandmother for her emotional letter, as it touched me deeply," Nadal wrote via Twitter. "I receive all of her letters of support and they mean a lot to me. Thank you."

And just like that, Nadal made one super fan's dream come true.

"I am very excited to be coming back and playing Queen's again"
By Sky Sports Tennis
Last Updated: 06/02/18 11:07pm



World No 1 Rafael Nadal says he is planning to play in the Wimbledon warm-up event at Queen's Club this year.

The Spaniard has sat out the event for the last two years, having been injured in 2016 before deciding to prioritise rest after his French Open victory last summer.

But the 2008 winner hopes to take part in this year's tournament, which gets underway on June 18.

Nadal said: "I am very excited to communicate that I am going to come to Queen's in 2018, it is going to be the 10th anniversary of my victory in 2008.

"It's a great memory, winning there and three weeks later winning Wimbledon. It was an unforgettable year.

"I am very excited to be coming back and playing Queen's again."

Rafael Nadal celebrates finishing 2017 as the World No 1
Rafael Nadal celebrates finishing 2017 as the World No 1
Nadal reached the Wimbledon final five times between 2006 and 2011, winning in 2008 and 2010, and his best efforts at the grass court major have invariably been preceded by a warm-up outing at Queen's.

Stephen Farrow, Queen's tournament director, said: "We are delighted that Rafa is planning to return in 2018.

"His run 10 years ago, when he won at Roland Garros, Queen's and Wimbledon, will never be forgotten.

"To see him back at the top of the world rankings a decade later is a testament to his greatness and desire to achieve even more."

Nadal was forced to retire due to injury against Marin Cilic in Australia
Nadal was forced to retire from his Australian Open quarter-final against Marin Cilic because of a thigh injury but he said this week he could return to action at the Mexican Open in Acapulco at the end of the month.

Andy Murray, another dual Wimbledon winner, has a contract to play Queen's for the rest of his career and is hoping to use the tournament to mark the start of his return following hip surgery.

Lopez victorious in past two meetings with Spanish compatriot

Top seed Rafael Nadal is back at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC on a mission to remain within striking distance of reclaiming No. 1 in the ATP Rankings from Roger Federer. But an all-too-familiar foe, compatriot Feliciano Lopez, presents a dangerous first obstacle for last year’s runner-up on Tuesday.

In the opening-round battle between the two left-handed Spaniards, 36-year-old Lopez will bid to record his third straight FedEx ATP Head2Head victory over his more decorated opponent. While Nadal leads the pair’s ledger 9-4, it is Lopez who landed their past two hard-court encounters in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events – the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati (2015) and the Rolex Shanghai Masters (2014).

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Given the two-and-a-half years that have elapsed since that last meeting, though, Nadal, will read little into it. As a runner-up at last year’s Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, he won’t have the chance to make up enough ATP Rankings points to displace Federer at the top, even if he won his third Acapulco title (2005, 2013).

But it would put the pressure squarely on his Swiss rival’s shoulders when they turn their attention north of the Mexican border where Federer will defend 4,000 total points from clinching the 'Sunshine Double' last year – the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open presented by Itau.

Nadal is competing for the first time since retiring in the fifth set of his Australian Open quarter-final clash with Marin Cilic. His only loss in Acapulco in 15 matches came to Sam Querrey in last year’s final.

Nadal, durante una rueda de prensa en Acapulco.
Nadal, durante una rueda de prensa en Acapulco. José Méndez Efe

Nadal, baja en Acapulco
El español renuncia a jugar el torneo tras hacerse daño en la misma zona que le obligó a abandonar en los cuartos de final del Abierto de Australia.

Rafael Nadal no jugará el torneo de Acapulco, que debería haberle visto debutar este martes por la noche contra Feliciano López. El español, alejado de las pistas durante los últimos 34 días como consecuencia de una lesión de grado 1 en el psoas-ilíaco de su pierna derecha que le obligó a retirarse de los cuartos de final del Abierto de Australia, renunció en el último momento a jugar en Acapulco después de sentir dolor en la misma zona e inmediatamente empezó a pensar en el futuro: el número dos del mundo se quedará en la ciudad haciéndose pruebas para conocer el verdadero alcance de la lesión y valorará la próxima semana si puede disputar el Masters 1000 de Indian Wells.

Nadal aterrizó el 19 de febrero en la isla de Cozumel, donde es copropietario de dos hoteles, y empezó a preparar su vuelta a la competición. El pasado viernes, el mallorquín llegó a Acapulco y desde entonces se entrenó en doble sesión, consumiendo cada día tres horas en la pista a una intensidad frenética. Hasta el lunes, la preparación del campeón de 16 grandes para el torneo había sido óptima, cumpliendo con el plan marcado por su equipo técnico. Hasta que el lunes sintió un pinchazo en su pierna derecha y de golpe reaparecieron los problemas de Melbourne.

La renuncia de Nadal a Acapulco es otro gancho a su ánimo en un 2018 que el tenista ha vivido de sinsabor en sinsabor. A la dolorosa retirada en el Abierto de Australia, donde tras alcanzar los cuartos se sentía listo para aspirar al título de campeón, le siguió la del torneo mexicano, su segunda cita del calendario que no podrá ni empezar.

En consecuencia, Nadal no defenderá 300 los puntos de la final de 2017 (perdió con Sam Querrey) y viajará a California para preparar el Masters 1000 de Indian Wells, que comienza el próximo 8 de marzo. A las puertas de la parte más importante de su temporada, el tiempo juega en contra del mallorquín: Nadal necesita curarse de nuevo para poder jugar Indian Wells, Miami y toda la gira de tierra (Montecarlo, Barcelona, Madrid y Roma) que finalizará en Roland Garros, el gran objetivo de cada año

Spaniard hasn't played a match since 23 January
Rafael Nadal will miss the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco.

The two-time champion (2005, 2013) withdrew from the ATP World Tour 500 tournament on Tuesday because of a right hip injury. Nadal had to retire from his Australian Open quarter-final against Marin Cilic because of similar pain.


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“Tough one, of course. Yesterday in the last practice I felt something... I went to the hospital this morning to check it, to do an MRI and I still have some liquid there, so I need to keep doing tests to know what exactly is going on. The spot is really similar to Australia, so I need to be sure about what’s going on the next couple of days, and then we’re going to work hard to try to recover as soon as possible,” Nadal said.

The Spaniard has not played a match since retiring in Melbourne on 23 January. Nadal has been replaced in the draw by lucky loser Taro Daniel of Japan.