"Amazing he still played, bravo" - Martina Navratilova praises Rafael Nadal for playing through pain and injury for Roger Federer at Laver Cup

Martina Navratilova has praised Rafael Nadal for playing through injury and pain at the Laver Cup. He captivated tennis fans the world over by playing alongside his friend and long-time rival Roger Federer in a doubles encounter on Friday.

The Swiss maestro played his last professional match at the O2 Arena in London, where he, partnering Nadal, lost to the American pair of Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock. This was Nadal's second defeat to Tiafoe in the space of a month after the Spaniard lost to the American at the US Open.

Navratilova, who was a commentator at the New York Major, revealed that she had no idea that the 22-time Grand Slam champion was still struggling with the abdominal injury that caused him to withdraw from Wimbledon ahead of his semifinal clash with Nick Kyrgios.

The Czechoslovakian tennis great, who now lives in the US, added that while she did notice that his service toss was lower at the US Open, she assumed that Nadal was protecting his stomach but was unaware that he was affected by the tear. She praised him for putting his pain and injury aside to take part in the Laver Cup.

"I had no idea Rafa was struggling with his stomach muscle tear. The service toss was lower at the US open but it looked more like protecting the stomach muscle rather than still be affected by it. Amazing he still played:), bravo Rafa! And yes, he was nervous, understandably so," she tweeted.

The 36-year-old's withdrawal from the Laver Cup has now made it clear that he traveled to London with the sole intention of playing a doubles match alongside Federer. In a recent interview, the Swiss revealed that he had contacted Nadal ahead of his retirement to ascertain the chances of them pairing up for his farewell match.

Rafael Nadal has now returned to Spain to be with his wife Maria Francisca Perello, as the pair are expecting their first child soon.

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Rollercoaster 2022 season for Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal won his 14th French Open title in 2022.

Rafael Nadal, who began the 2022 season on a high with a 20-match winning streak before losing to Taylor Fritz in the finals of the Indian Wells Open, has been through a rollercoaster ride this year.

The King of Clay was forced into a hiatus following a stress fracture of the ribs and made a comeback at the Madrid Open, only to lose to Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.

Going into the French Open after losing to Denis Shapovalov in Rome, the then 13-time Roland Garros champion battled pain and injury to pick up a record 14th title in Paris, his second Major win of the year following his Australian Open triumph in January.

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