Throughout the first set last night in his match against Fernando Gonzalez, Rafael Nadal was hurting, needing an injury timeout to get treatment for his strained abdominal muscle before returning to the court.
Delay Came at Right Time for Nadal
Nadal, the six-time major winner trying to complete a career Grand Slam, has been reluctant to talk about the injury. He doesn’t want to let his opponents know his weaknesses. But the medical timeout he took early in the second set, with the trainer poking and massaging his stomach, told the story.As did his uncle and coach, Toni Nadal.
“In the first set, it was very, very bad,” he said in an interview on ESPN2, which is televising the tournament in the United States. “Now, it’s a little better. It’s difficult. We must win this set.”
He recovered enough to continue play, but there was worry that the delay would hurt Nadal as the night wore on. Yet the eventual postponement of the match and the subsequent delay today can only serve to help Nadal, giving him time to rest the muscle and heal before continuing the match.
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