US Open 2022: Rafael Nadal recovers from bloody nose to defeat Fabio Fogini in 2nd round

22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal advanced into the 3rd round of US Open 2022, following a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 win against Italy’s Fabio Foginini. During the match, the 36-year-old cut himself on the bridge of his nose after his racket bounced off the court and hit him on his face. While he was seen bleeding, he opted to take a medical timeout, as his trainer put a bandage on the cut. 

The incident took place in the fourth set of the Round 2 match when Nadal was leading the set by 3-0. He then lay down on his back, holding a cold water botter over the cut to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, Foginini also came down to check on Nadal. 

He sustained the cut while he was moving to his right attempting to hit a backhand. However, the racket got deflected off the ground and smacked him in the face. He was seen immediately grimacing in pain, before dropping the racket and covering his face with his hands. Despite the bloody nose, Nadal displayed immense grit and determination to go on and complete a stunning victory. He will now face Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the 3rd round on Saturday.

Rafael Nadal speaks about his nose injury

Speaking about the injury in the post-match interview, Nadal revealed he felt a bit dizzy due to the painful hit. On being asked if he is ok, Nadal said, “Yeah, just a little bit dizzy at the beginning and a little bit painful”. Answering the question if something like this has happened to him before, Nadal replied, “With a golf club, but not with a tennis racket.

Nadal’s nose injury became a trending topic of discussion for the tennis world on social media. Replying to a tweet by US Open, tennis fans expressed concerns over the 36-year-old player. Fans also said they never knew tennis can be a dangerous sport too. 

Reacting to Nadal’s injury, a fan said, “We have seen the sweat and tears and now we’ve seen some blood too. Consummate athlete, champ and warrior”. Meanwhile, another fan said, “The court is cement and rough. Hurts like hell if you fall. Racquets are graphite. Very hard and sharp if they break. You can cut yourself badly”.