AP

Nadal’s nose bloodied by own racket at US Open in victory

Sep 1, 2022, 10:09 AM | Updated: 10:47 pm

Rafael Nadal, of Spain, celebrates after defeating Fabio Fognini, of Italy, during the second round...

Rafael Nadal, of Spain, celebrates after defeating Fabio Fognini, of Italy, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)


              Rafael Nadal, of Spain, celebrates after defeating Fabio Fognini, of Italy, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
            
              Rafael Nadal, right, of Spain, shakes hands with Fabio Fognini, of Italy, after defeating him during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
            
              Rafael Nadal, of Spain, celebrates after defeating Fabio Fognini, of Italy, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
            
              Rafael Nadal, right, of Spain, shakes hands with Fabio Fognini, of Italy, after defeating him during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
            
              Fabio Fognini, of Italy, reacts after missing a shot against Rafael Nadal, of Spain, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
            
              Rafael Nadal, of Spain, wearing a bandage on his nose, returns a shot to Fabio Fognini, of Italy, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
            
              Rafael Nadal, of Spain, holds his nose after it was struck by his racket, during a medical timeout during a match against Fabio Fognini, of Italy, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, early Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
            
              Rafael Nadal, of Spain, holds a bottle to his face during a medical timeout during a match against Fabio Fognini, of Italy, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, early Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
            
              Rafael Nadal, of Spain, is treated by a trainer during a medical timeout during a match against Fabio Fognini, of Italy, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, early Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. Nadal's racket head rebounded off the court and hit his nose. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

NEW YORK (AP) — Rafael Nadal cut himself on the bridge of his nose with his own racket when it ricocheted off the court on the follow-through from a shot, leaving himself bloodied and dizzy during his second-round victory at the U.S. Open.

Play was delayed for about five minutes during a medical timeout in the fourth set of what would become a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 win against Fabio Fognini at Arthur Ashe Stadium in a match that began Thursday night and finished after midnight on Friday.

It made for a bizarre, and briefly scary, scene, as Nadal immediately grimaced, dropped his racket, put a palm to his face and then placed both hands on his head. He said at his post-match news conference he thought right away that he might have broken his nose, which kept swelling.

He said it was a “shock” when it happened and he felt “a little bit out of the world.”

Still, Nadal managed to joke about it all. Asked during his on-court interview whether he’d ever had that happen before, he mustered a chuckle and replied: “With a golf club but not with a tennis racket.”

How was he feeling?

“Well, just a little bit dizzy at the beginning,” said Nadal, who has won four of his 22 Grand Slam titles at the U.S. Open, most recently in 2019, the last time he entered the hard-court tournament. “A little bit painful.”

The episode came on the first point of the game with Nadal leading 3-0 in the fourth set and clearly in command after ceding the opening set for the second match in a row this week.

The 36-year-old from Spain was moving to his right when he hit a backhand. After making contact with the ball, his racket deflected off the ground and smacked him on the nose.

He went over to the sideline and layed down, waiting for the trainer, and Fognini went over to check on Nadal.

“He told me everything was OK,” Fognini said later. “I hope it’s nothing serious.”

After having a bandage put on his nose, Nadal resumed play. He would lose that game, but not another, improving to 21-0 in Grand Slam matches in 2022.

Nadal won the Australian Open in January and the French Open in June for his 14th title there, then made it to the Wimbledon semifinals in July before the abdominal issue forced him to withdraw (which does not go into the books as a loss).

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.

“I was lucky, honestly, that Fabio made some mistakes in that second set,” Nadal acknowledged.

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!”

Not long after, that set belong to Nadal, too, and he would collect 16 of the last 19 games.

___

More AP coverage of U.S. Open tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/us-open-tennis-championships and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Nadal’s nose bloodied by own racket at US Open in victory