Rafael Nadal’s knee problem and past record at the US Open: (Part One) – Tennis Special
Spain’s Rafael Nadal turned pro at a tender age of 15 years in 2001. When he captured the first title of his career at a clay court event in Sopot in 2004, it became evident that he would win many more on the slowest surface in
tennis, the clay courts.
However, his game was weaker at the faster surfaces i.e. hard and grass courts. Although, he reached his first hard court final at the Heineken Open in 2004 but his performance was relatively weaker on these rapid surfaces. The
left-hander’s style was suitable for clay courts, as his serve was not that big and his ground strokes had more spin than power.
Nadal amazed everyone by winning 11 titles in 2005, including his first Grand Slam trophy at the French Open. Three of those titles were on hard courts but all of them were at the start of the season. The Spaniard’s style of play
was harsh on his body from the start of his career, as he ran after every ball like a beast. Nadal was such a strong retriever that it was a difficult task to hit winner against him. Though, this style of play put a lot of pressure on his knees, making it
difficult for him to retain fitness throughout the season.
Nadal recently withdrew from the London Olympics with the same knee problem. He failed to defend the title that he had won four years ago in Beijing. The bigger sorrow for Nadal was that he also had to be Spain’s flag bearer at
the opening ceremony of London Olympics.
Making the announcement of his withdrawal, Nadal had said, “One of the saddest days of my career as one of my biggest ambitions, that of being Spain’s flag bearer in the opening ceremony of the Games in London, cannot be.”
He added, “I do not find myself in a condition to compete. I have to think about my companions. I can’t be selfish, and I have to think of what’s best for Spanish sport, especially tennis and Spanish players, and give fellow sportsmen
with better preparation the chance to compete.”
What happens with Nadal is that he remains fresh at the start of every year but after putting a lot of load on his knees during the clay season, he gets slowed down in the second part due to the burning out of his body.
This is the reason that Nadal has always performed at his worst at the US Open, when compared to the other three Grand Slams. Flushing Meadows is the second biggest tournament in tennis after Wimbledon and Nadal know this but he
seems helpless. Let’s discuss year wise detail of Nadal’s performance at the last Major in the tennis calendar.
2003 US Open
Nadal made his US Open debut in 2003, entering the tournament as an unseeded player. The Spaniard made a successful start, as he defeated countryman, Fernando Vicente, in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in the first round.
Though, that was all for the 16-year-old at that time, as he lost to Morocco’s Younes El Aynaoui in straight sets 6-7(6), 3-6, 6-7(6) in the second round.
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