The match against Fognini, who beat him at the 2015 U.S. Open, did not begin auspiciously for Nadal. His shots were off and he quickly fell behind.
“For more than one hour and a half, I was not competing,” Nadal said. “One of the worst starts, probably, ever.” The second set was hardly a thing of beauty for either man, filled with poor play by both: They combined for 39 unforced errors and merely nine winners, seven service breaks and only three holds.When Nadal dumped a backhand into the net, Fognini broke to lead 3-2, then went ahead 4-2. But from there, it was Fognini who faltered, missing four shots in a row to get broken at love as part of a four-game run by Nadal to make it a set apiece.
“With Nadal, you can’t mess around,” Fognini said. “I let him back in the match and he kept getting better from there.” In the third, Nadal came up with one particularly perfect shot — a forehand on the run that redirected an overhead by Fognini and sent it down the line for a winner to break for 4-2. Nadal’s momentum carried him right to the edge of the stands, where thousands were on their feet, and he punched the air and yelled, “Vamos!”Share this article in your social network
Oh no ! In surgery ?
Obviously, not a hockey player!