Nadal given all clear to face Fish
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail
Shanghai Daily, June 29, 2011
Rafael Nadal is not seriously injured and will play today in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Nadal, a two-time champion at the All England Club, hurt his left foot in the first set of Monday's fourth-round win over Juan Martin del Potro. He twice called for a trainer during the set, but still managed to win 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4.
After the match, he went to a London hospital for an MRI exam, but the results were negative.
"During the match I thought I had something serious but as the match went through the pain got better and thankfully the tests don't show an injury," Nadal said in a statement yesterday. "Today I will practice at 4:30pm and I'll play tomorrow."
In today's quarterfinals, Nadal will play Mardy Fish of the United States.
Nadal said he felt something "crush" in his left foot during the match against del Potro, making him worry that it might be broken. He said he even contemplated retiring from the match.
"I felt (like) I broke my foot at that moment," Nadal said on Monday.
Nadal is 30-2 at Wimbledon since the start of the 2006 tournament. He lost to Roger Federer that year and the next in the final, but then beat the Swiss in the 2008 championship match. Nadal was unable to defend his title in 2009 because of injury, but he won again in 2010.
The top-ranked Spaniard also won his sixth French Open title this month, equaling Bjorn Borg's record.
Overall, Nadal has won 10 major titles, including one at the Australian Open and one at the US Open.
