Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal explained on Sunday that he suffered pain and breathing problems during his defeat in the Indian Wells final and he does not know the reasons that caused it.
“The only thing I can say is that it is difficult for me to breathe. When I try to breathe, it is painful and it is very uncomfortable,” Nadal, 35, told the media after his unexpected defeat in the final against American Taylor Fritz 6-3, 7-6 (7/5).
“When I breathe, when I move, it’s like a needle all the time in here,” he said, pointing to his chest. “I get a little dizzy because it’s painful. I don’t know if it’s something in the rib, I don’t know yet,” she added.
The Spanish star, who missed much of last season with a chronic left foot injury, began to struggle at Indian Wells on Saturday night during the final stretch of his three-hour battle with young compatriot Carlos Alcaraz. .
“By finishing yesterday (Saturday) late and playing today (Sunday) morning, I didn’t have a chance to do a lot of things, not even review what’s going on,” he said.
“It’s not just about pain, I don’t feel very good because it affects my breathing. More than sad about the loss, something I accepted immediately, and even before the match was over, it’s about that I’m suffering a bit, honestly,” he stressed.
Nadal resisted the defeat against Fritz for two intense hours, with which he saw his streak of 20 straight victories cut short at the start of the season, in which he reached a record 21 Grand Slam titles by winning the Australian Open.
“Although it is obvious that today I have not been able to do normal things, it is a final. I have tried. I lost against a great player,” he admitted.
Despite the disappointment of seeing his season start streak cut short, only surpassed in the ATP by Novak Djokovic, Nadal said he will try to recover as soon as possible to start the clay court tournaments, which include Roland Garros, the Grand Slam that has won 13 times.
“I wanted to make it perfect before the clay. It would have been very, very nice,” he said. “But now is the time to try to fix this problem as soon as possible and try to start on clay.”
“Now I’m sad but I’m not the type of person who goes down or up a lot emotionally depending on the moment,” he stressed. “Normally I’m stable and I put everything in perspective. The last two months have been incredible, unforgettable, very emotional. I enjoy things that a few months ago I didn’t think I could experience again.”
SPORTS
with AFP
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