On Thursday, Rafael Nadal defeated Fabio Fognini 2-6 6-4 6-2 6-1 to go to the third round of the US Open despite having a bloody nose.
The chance of an upset similar to the one Fognini famously pulled off against the Spaniard at Arthur Ashe Stadium seven years ago increased as the seasoned Italian came out firing to establish a set and a 4-2 lead as Nadal struggled to find his groove.
When Nadal raced down an overhead and hammered a forehand down the line to break Fognini and take a 4-2 lead in the third set, the momentum changed in his favour.
While leading 3-0 in the fourth set when his racket rebounded off the court and smacked him severely on the bridge of his nose, he seemed to be cruising to victory after breaking the fading Fognini once again.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner had to take a medical break as a result, and while it, he laid on his back with his eyes closed and had a pink bandage put on to stem the bleeding.
The nasty match, in which the players combined for 15 service breaks and 11 double faults, was put to an end when Nadal recovered and, assisted by the fanatical crowd, secured the victory on Fognini’s 60th unforced mistake.
In an on-court interview, Nadal said, “I was not competing for more than one and a half hours; it was one of my poorest beginnings ever.”
“You must maintain optimism and patience when this occurs, which hopefully won’t happen too often. The game lasts a while.
After the game, Nadal told reporters that the racket’s strike left him feeling disoriented and in discomfort.
He said, “Was simply a powerful hit.
“I first believed I had broken my nose since the initial shock was so great. It hurt a lot.
“Seems to be in working order. I’m not yet certain. I’m not sure. It seems to be growing steadily, in my opinion.
With the victory, Nadal atoned for his defeat against Fognini at the 2015 US Open, when the Italian rallied from a set and a break down to win. In total, Nadal has defeated Fognini 14-4.
Richard Gasquet, who earlier in the day upset Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-4, will be Nadal’s next opponent.
Against the Frenchman, Nadal has a dominant 18-0 career record.