Rafa Nadal: “I thought my nose was broken”

The Spanish Rafael Nadal acknowledged on Thursday that he thought he had “broken his nose”, referring to the hard blow accidentally delivered with the racket in the second round of the match US Open won in difficulty against the Italian Fabio Fogni.

“At first, I thought my nose was broken, the damage was big. It didn’t seem to be broken, although I’m not sure. It was swollen, but it was just a blow,” Nadal said in the press conference after the match.

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The impact came in the fourth set, when Nadal led 3-0 after emerging from a very complicated situation that saw him lose 2-6 and 2-4, having suffered greatly to keep his turns in service.

Despite a tricky cut and a powerful blow to the nose, the Spaniard managed to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and 6-1 and meet in the third round with the French Richard Gasquet.

“I knew I was going to have some problems (after the hit), but in the end I won that game. The most important thing in this sport is that when you play bad, you don’t have to be too far from the game. result, and when you play well, you have to try to accelerate,” he said.

Nadal did not hide and described his start to the game as “a disaster”, but insisted that he is a “positive” person and always tries to give himself a chance to get into the game. “I don’t lose confidence until I go out,” he recalls.

“There was a moment when I was making such a mess that I could not pause. The speed was higher than usual, even without making a long point. I felt very fast and that did not allow me to think clearly and act my game standards,” he assured.

He also considers that the sport is “simple although sometimes you want to give it a complexity that usually doesn’t exist” and when things get complicated it’s important to “not lose hope” and keep things simple.

“The important thing is to have the humility to bear with myself and forgive my mistakes. I don’t think I’m so good that I can’t make mistakes. When things are very bad, the ball is thrown in the middle, so that others can win points,” he said. nadal

The Balearic, winner of 22 ‘big’, including Australian Open and the Roland Garros this year, he won 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and 6-1 and also secured his ticket for ATP Finals next November at Turin.

“I know I was there in Turin, winning two ‘majors’, but it’s good news especially for a 36-year-old. It’s better than we thought when we started the year. I’m happy, but I have to keep pushing . I’m happy to continue alive,” he said.