World number one Rafael Nadal revealed that he had a serious abdominal injury prior to the start of the 2009 US Open semifinal match against Juan Martin Del Potro. He added that the injury worsened after the match.
“In that match I had 26 millimeters abdominal break [1.02 inches],” Nadal said to the reporters in Shanghai on Saturday. “So we cannot count about that match. I lost 6?2, 6?2, 6?2. For me it was miracle to be in that semifinal, because I started the U.S. Open with six millimeters tear.”
Nadal lost in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters to Del Potro, currently ranked fifth in the world. The last time Del Potro defeated Nadal was at the 2009 US Open semifinal wherein the Argentine went on to win his lone Grand Slam title as of this time.
“Being in the semifinal was one of the greatest results I had because of my conditions and no possibility to play with my condition to play against a player like Juan Martin in those moments. In my opinion, he played much better tonight than he did in that match.”
