Rafael Nadal admitted after his loss to Frances Tiafoe in the first round of the US Open on Monday that he does not know when he will be able to return to competitive tennis.
Tiafoe, who was ranked 26th, defeated Nadal in the round of 16 with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, and 6-3. Nadal was a four-time winner at the US Open and was attempting to win his 23rd Grand Slam title.
The American’s aggressive style resulted in 18 aces and 49 wins, significantly outperforming Nadal’s deliberate performance on Arthur Ashe Stadium, which resulted in fewer winners.
Nadal suffered his first loss at a Grand Slam event in 2022 at Wimbledon, where he was forced to quit due to an abdominal condition.
This defeat came after Nadal won the Australian Open and the French Open in 2021.
The Spaniard’s run of 16 straight Grand Slam tournaments in which he reached the semifinals or higher came to an end with this loss.
“It is imperative that I return there. I must make things right. It is unknown when they will return.” Nadal spoke at an official press conference that was held earlier.
“I’m going to put in as much effort as I can to get my head in the game. I intend to get back into competition as soon as I can do so in both a physical and mental capacity.”
He said, “It’s been a bit difficult for a few months but I want to finish the year with something very important that is my first child.”
Nadal has had a year filled with both successes and failures.
He is now ahead of Novak Djokovic by one Grand Slam trophy, but his previous physical shortcomings have begun to catch up with him.
After suffering a stress fracture in his ribs in March, Nadal needed to receive daily pain-killing injections in his left foot beginning in June to continue competing and ultimately win his 14th French Open.
“Now I have to go home, I have more important things than tennis to attend to,” he said.
“Decisions will be made based on how everything goes in my personal life, which comes before my professional life.”
He added: “It’s been a bit difficult for a few months but I want to finish the year with something very important that is my first child.”
