Lob and Smash
Fansided

Rafael Nadal’s two most meaningful matches in 2018

By Harry Floyd

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain waves to the crowd as he walks off the court after retiring injured during the fifth set in his quarter-final match against Marin Cilic of Croatia on day nine of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 23, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 23: Rafael Nadal of Spain waves to the crowd as he walks off the court after retiring injured during the fifth set in his quarter-final match against Marin Cilic of Croatia on day nine of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 23, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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Rafael Nadal
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 19: Rafael Nadal of Spain ties his bandana in his third round match against Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzogovina on day five of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 19, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) /

Rafael Nadal found himself face-to-face with the world No. 6 in Marin Cilic. While Cilic was the underdog in their match, he is no stranger to the big stage. A former US Open men’s singles champion, the world No. 6 has without a doubt proven himself on the ATP World Tour.

Having a strong run up until this point, Nadal found himself tested by the Croatian veteran. Starting the fourth set with momentum, Cilic appeared to have an edge over Nadal. It also looked as though the injury was creeping up on the Spanish superstar.

Cilic would win the fourth set and go right into the fifth set with all of the momentum. After dropping the first two games in set five, Nadal withdrew due to injury. Now, he awaits the results of an MRI that could very well determine his next few months of play. Several top players such as Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have been dealing with injuries as of late. Djokovic is reassessing his won elbow injury right now. Swiss great Stan Wawrinka also returned to play after surgery and is taking things one tournament at a time.

Nadal’s play at the Australian Open showed that he still has what it takes to display brilliance, but that he may need to dive deeper when it comes to determining the cause of his ailments. Fans hope that the injury issues are not too serious. If he does find himself away from the courts for a significant amount of time though, Federer could rise back to the world No. 1 ranking. The Swiss tennis star is into the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and looks to advance this week. If he can defend his title, the top ranking could be even more in sight.

Next: Top 10: Men's Singles Tennis

Stay tuned to see how Rafael Nadal fares in the coming weeks. Check back for updates on his injury and all of his progress as the 2018 ATP World Tour unfolds.

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