All of Nadal’s problems with Australia

Again trouble for Reef Nadal heading into his first Grand Slam of the season. Your positive for COVID-19 when you have just started your preparation for the Open de Australia 2022 It is a huge setback that we will see if it costs him his participation in Melbourne. If we look back in time, we can see how the Spaniard has had to face numerous problems before the tournament or during it, of course it has not been an easy relationship. Physical problems have been very recurrent at the start of the season and that has disrupted his performance in Australia more than he would like. We go on to relate his entire history of setbacks in the first Grand Slam of the year.

2006: His first great year in the elite brought with it harsh physical consequences and it is that at the end of 2005 a congenital injury was detected in the sole of one of his feet and there was a risk that his tennis career would end disproportionately soon. Since the title in Madrid he was unemployed until February, thus skipping the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam in which Rafa shone with two very tough duels against Hewitt in 2004 and 2005.

2007: Two later he was able to compete again in Melbourne and made a remarkable performance reaching the quarterfinals, although in that match he fell emphatically against an extremely inspired Fernando Gónzalez. Although, Rafa later alleged discomfort in the gluteus that did not allow him to move with the usual ease in that duel. Again the physical problems appeared.

2010: Rafa was the defending champion at that time at the Australian Open, the only time in his entire career. Without too much trouble he had planted himself in the quarterfinals against Andy Murray, five in the world at that time. And again, the physical discomforts appeared. On this occasion it would be his right knee that said enough and after going two sets to zero down and 2-0, Rafa withdrew from the match against a huge Murray, everything has to be said. I would not compete again until Indian Wells.

2011: The curse of the quarterfinals would have a new chapter the following year. In 2011 his progression had been fabulous, without giving up a heat until the penultimate round. His compatriot David Ferrer was waiting there. And then came the injury. A more than inopportune fiber break that prevented Rafa from performing at the level he had been showing. Ferrer was clearly superior and beat the Spaniard. For the memory are those words of his uncle Toni advising him to retire and Nadal stubborn, continued until the end.

2013: After his epic final in 2012, in 2013 he had to lose the tournament for the first time since 2006. Huge period of inactivity from his fall at Wimbledon to his comeback at Viña del Mar, just after Melbourne. The knee had been the culprit of all that period of loss in the circuit. Rafa chose to do the South American land tour to kick off 2013.

2014: East year of the famous final with Stan Wawrinka. Australia seems to always have some negative surprise in store for Nadal and in this case it would be in the very final. Until then without symptoms of having problems, knocking Federer down in the semis in straight sets. But before the other Swiss, things changed. Those famous back problems appeared that prevented Rafa from serving normally and Wawrinka did not forgive. He condemned the Spaniard who somehow managed to force a fourth set. The reality is that this decline clearly took him away from a second title in Australia.

2018: After a few years without physical problems at the Oceanic Grand Slam, they appear again and again in the quarterfinal round. He arrived in Australia without prior preparation and his body was going to accuse him. In that final round for him Marin Cilic was measured and after a tough battle that lasted to the fifth set, the Spanish had to say goodbye to the match with 2-0 down. Problems in the iliopsoas in his right leg forced him to withdraw. Another painful and uncomfortable goodbye from Melbourne.