5 times Rafael Nadal refused to retire and continued to play with injury

Rafael Nadal of Spain, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, has been forced to pull out of the upcoming Australian Open in Melbourne owing to a muscle tear he suffered at Brisbane International last week.

The 37-year-old was making a comeback to tennis in Brisbane after a year-long lay-off. However, he was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Jordan Thompson of Australia.

Injuries are nothing new for Nadal, whose career has been hampered by several serious ones over the years. But the Spaniard is also a warrior on the court, and has often braved injuries to complete matches in his career.

In this article, we look at five instances that saw Nadal fight injury during a match and completing it instead of retiring:

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#5. Rafael Nadal vs Jordan Thompson, 2024 Brisbane International (quarterfinals):

As mentioned earlier, the Spaniard, who was making a comeback after a year, managed to win his first two matches in Brisbane against Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler. However, in the match against Thompson, he needed medical attention in the third set, apparently for an issue in his upper left leg.

That did not stop Nadal from completing the match, with Thompson winning 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-3 in the end. The Spaniard wasted a couple of match points in the second set of the match. Had he been able to convert them, he probably would not have had that injury.

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#4. Nadal vs. Stan Wawrinka, 2014 Australian Open (final):

Stan Wawrinka beat Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 at Melbourne in 2014 to lift his maiden Grand Slam trophy.

However, the match was particularly memorable for the odds Nadal had to fight to complete it. Early in the second set, the Spaniard had to go out for a medical time-out owing to a back injury.

The Spaniard was out for six minutes but managed to come back and win a set before Wawrinka won the fourth one to finish the match off. Wawrinka won the title, but the Spaniard managed to win fans' hearts with his spirit and determination.

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#3. Nadal vs Taylor Fritz, 2022 Indian Wells Open (Final):

The Spaniard went into the final in Indian Wells against Taylor Fritz on a 20-match winning streak. He had won the Australian Open a couple of months before but picked up a pectoral injury in the Indian Wells semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz.

The injury meant that the Spaniard had to speak to a doctor midway through the final, amid visible struggles to play his shots. Fritz had an ankle injury of his own, but Nadal’s was arguably the more serious one.

Still, the Spaniard finished the match and Fritz won 6-3, 7-6(5) to claim his first Masters 1000 title.

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#2. Nadal vs. David Ferrer, 2011 Australian Open (quarterfinals):

Nadal went into the Australian Open in 2011 having won the three previous Grand Slams. However, he lost to his compatriot, Ferrer, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 in the Melbourne quarterfinals. He had to take a medical time-out while being 0-3 down in the third set owing to a leg injury.

Nadal was reduced to tears during a changeover in the match, and seemed to have trouble chasing down the ball at times. However, he still had enough in him to complete the match instead of retiring hurt.

Toni, his uncle and coach, reportedly instructed the Spaniard to withdraw, but he continued playing.

The failure to win a fourth-straight Grand Slam would have hurt Nadal, but his fighting spirit won him a lot of fans worldwide.

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#1. Nadal vs. Taylor Fritz, 2022 Wimbledon (quarterfinals):

Never was the warrior in the Spaniard more evident than in the quarterfinal clash with Fritz at Wimbledon 2022. Nadal suffered an abdominal injury during the match, but amid repeated pleas from his own family members, including his father and sister Maribel from the stands, he refused to budge.

He was visibly in pain while playing his shots, but still dealt with the big American's serve and forehand really well.

The Spaniard prevailed in the contest that lasted for more than four hours 3-6, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(4). However, he had to withdraw from the subsequent semifinal against Nick Kyrgios.

Djokovic beat Kyrgios in the final to win his seventh Wimbledon title.