By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday, September 5, 2022
Flushing Meadows, NY—Rafael Nadal’s 2022 Grand Slam season ends on a low note, as the Spaniard was denied a shot at winning his 23rd major title and his fifth at the US Open by Frances Tiafoe, who edged him, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach his first US Open quarterfinal.
Nadal, who had to pull out of Wimbledon with an abdominal injury, says that it is a dark day for him, but he is confident that he will come back stronger.
“It's normal that 15 mins after a loss in the last Grand Slam of the season to feel everything is dark and it's difficult to have the positive energy to look ahead,” he said in Spanish. “But days will pass and I'll keep going as I've done my whole career. I'm confident I have the interior strength to do it.”
Nadal looks forward to going home and being with his wife, Xisca, who is pregnant and expecting the couple’s first child in the coming months.
The Spaniard, who is still in the running to reach the No.1 ranking after the US Open, said he isn’t sure when he’ll play again.
“I need to go back,” he said. “I need to fix things, life, then I don't know when I am going to come back. I going to try to be ready mentally. When I feel that I will be ready to compete again, I will be there.”
Photo credit: Sarah Stier/Getty