Rafael Nadal, a 20 – time Grand Slam champion, lost to tennis again after more than four months in injury. Against one-year-old British Andy Murray.
Abu Dhabi – 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has failed to return to tennis after an injury for more than four months.
In the invitation match in Abu Dhabi, the 35-year-old Spaniard lost 3: 6, 5: 7 to one-year-old Andy Murray. “It’s good to be back in the game,” Nadal said. “It’s a comeback for me. It’s not a bad match for me. I have not played in a match in a long time, so the feelings are positive.”
After recovering from a complicated leg injury, Nadal struggled with himself, but was still not in excellent condition. When he was last on the pitch at the ATP tournament in Washington in early August, he ended his season early after appearing against Lloyd Harris of South Africa – the pain in his left leg was excruciating.
In the match for third place, Nadal will face Denis Shapovalov on Saturday. The Canadian lost 6: 7 (5: 7), 6: 3, 4: 6 to Russia’s Andrei Rublev, who now faces Murray in the final.
After the match in Abu Dhabi, Nadal will have to travel to Australia in advance, where he will take part in the warm-up match for the Australian Open (January 17 to 30) in Melbourne from January 3.
Copyright 2021, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
