4 bizarre incidents in which tennis players hurt themselves with their own racquets ft. Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal booked his place in the third round of the US Open with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 win over Fabio Fognini on Thursday night.

It was the 18th meeting between the two. The Italian looked to have a strong hold on the match when he won the opening set 6-2 and was a break up in the second.

However, Rafael Nadal once again staged a fine comeback to win in four sets and set up a third-round clash against Richard Gasquet.

The Spaniard had a shocking moment during the match when he accidentally hit his nose with his own racquet while returning a shot and needed a medical timeout.

Rafael Nadal's incident isn't the only one in tennis where players hurt themselves with their own racquet. There have been a few similar moments in the past. In this article, we will take a closer look at them:

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#1 Rafael Nadal, 2022 US Open

Rafael Nadal accidentally hurt himself during his second-round match against Fabio Fognini

The most recent incident took place at the ongoing US Open, involving Rafael Nadal as mentioned earlier.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion was trailing in his second-round match against Fabio Fognini but soon found his rhythm and led by two sets to one.

Nadal started the fourth set strongly and took a 3-0 lead. In the next game, the Spaniard attempted a backhand to return a shot and while he was able to execute it, his racquet richocheted off the floor on to his nose in the process.

Fognini won the point with a volley but by then, Rafael Nadal was already in a bit of bother. The 36-year-old suffered a cut on his nose and started bleeding. He lay on the floor to avoid any further blood loss, necessitating a medical timeout.

The tournament doctor soon fixed him up with a bandage on his nose.

Play resumed and Rafael Nadal won the fourth set 6-1 to seal his place in the third round of the US Open.

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#2 Mikhail Youzhny, 2008 Miami Masters

Former top-10 player Mikhail Youzhny gave us one of the bloodiest sights on a tennis court during his match against Nicolas Almagro at the 2008 Miami Masters.

The two met in the third round and Youzhny, who was the 11th seed at the time, won the opening set 7-6(4). The 24th-seeded Almagro bounced back and won the second 6-3 to take the match to a decider.

The Spaniard served for the match at 5-4 in the third set but Youzhny had a break point. However, he could not convert it as he netted a backhand.

The Russian was frustrated and hit himself on the head with the frame of his racquet, bleeding profusely as a result. The doctor treated Youzhny and he continued playing.

Not only did the Russian break Almagro, but he also grabbed the final set 7-6(6) to win the match and book his place in the fourth round.

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#3 Marat Safin, 2000 Paris Masters

2000 was a special year for Marat Safin as he won his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open by beating Pete Sampras.

The Russian was the second seed at that year's Paris Masters and reached the final after beating Juan Carlos Ferrero in the semifinals in straight sets.

Safin faced the-then 13th seed Mark Philippoussis in the final and the match turned out to be a thrilling contest. The latter won the opening set 6-3 but the Russian bounced back to take the second 7-6(7).

Halfway through the third set, Safin attempted a diving backhand volley to return a forehand from Philippousis and fell on the court, with his racquet hitting him just above the right eye, giving him a cut.

The Russian bled and needed some stitches. However, he was soon back on the court and took the match 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(8) to win the Paris Masters and become the new World No. 1.

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#4 Tim Puetz, 2021 Qatar Open

The only doubles incident on this list features Tim Puetz. The German teamed up with Denmark's Frederik Nielsen for the 2021 Qatar Open and the pair reached the quarterfinals after defeating Nikoloz Basilashvili and Alexander Bublik.

In the last eight, Puetz and Nielsen were up against the top-seeded pair of Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah. The Colombian duo took the opening set 6-3 and were serving in the opening game of the second.

Puetz attempted to return Farah's serve, which was going down the middle and was unable to return it. In the process, he let go of his racquet, which bounced off the ground and the handle hit him near the eye. Puetz said that he could not see very well and ended up retiring from the match, thus giving Sebastian Cabal and Farah the victory.