US Open 2022: ‘Weirdest’ accident gave Rafael Nadal a ‘wake-up call’ in second round win, says Mats Wilander

Updated 03/09/2022 at 07:22 GMT

Eurosport expert Mats Wilander was impressed with Rafael Nadal’s character and fighting spirit after he battled through a nose injury he suffered from the “weirdest" accident to come from a set behind to beat Fabio Fognini 2-6 6-4 6-2 6-1 in the second round of the US Open. “Amazing that he comes back, maybe that was the wake-up call he needed,” Wilander claimed.

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Rafael Nadal recovered from a nose injury to beat Fabio Fognini in the second round of the US Open after the “weirdest” accident gave the 22-time Grand Slam winner a “wake-up call”, according to Mats Wilander.

The Spaniard, who trailed after the first set, suffered a nose injury when an attempted backhand went wrong and his racquet bounced off the hard court, hit him in the face and left him bleeding.

He required a medical timeout in the fourth set to patch up the gash, and Eurosport expert Wilander claimed it was the “wake-up call” he needed.

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“I have no idea [how Nadal injured his nose],” he said.

“It’s not going to happen on a clay court or a grass court. It’s only going to happen on a hard court.

“He nearly looked like he was fainting,” Wilander added.

“That’s absolutely the weirdest accident I’ve ever seen, and the fact that it breaks the skin and you start bleeding.

“Amazing that he comes back. Maybe that was the wake-up call he needed on the other hand.”

'He's ending his matches on a good note' - Clijsters on Nadal's slow start

Wilander’s fellow Eurosport expert Kim Clijsters wasn’t convinced by Nadal’s performance on the night despite battling back from a set behind to progress to the third round, but praised him for getting the job done.

“His timing just looked completely off. It’s not like he hasn’t played here on a night session [where] you have to adjust your eyesight a bit to the lights,” Clijsters said as she analysed the second seed’s performance.

“It was just - like he said in the press conference too - he had no idea where it came from because he felt really good before the match and in the warm-up.

“It just shows that every time you step out there it can change for the bad and for the good.

“It’s really good that he was able to turn it around because not a lot of people can do that in a situation like that.”

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