Lob and Smash
Fansided

Rafael Nadal must recover and prove himself after Mubadala loss

By Harry Floyd

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 07: Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts during his men's singles semi-final match against Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina on Day Twelve of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 7, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 07: Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts during his men's singles semi-final match against Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina on Day Twelve of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 7, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Former world number one Rafael Nadal is in the hot seat following a tough start to the year at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.

Rafael Nadal drops his match against South African tennis star Kevin Anderson at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. While the event is simply an exhibition to kick things off for a select few players, the play was significant for Nadal.

The former world number one was on top of the sport just one year ago. He would cruise through the start of his 2018 ATP Tour, battling back and forth with Swiss legend Roger Federer.

More from Lob and Smash

Then, Nadal would take yet another title at Roland Garros, winning the French Open in typical Rafa-fashion. The King of Clay defeated young up and comer Dominic Thiem in the finals. Thiem will surely be back in contention at the French Open. A Grand Slam win at Roland Garros was the end of Nadal’s dominant 2018 run though.

Toward the final months of the year, Nadal would suffer from ongoing and recurring injuries, ultimately withdrawing from tournaments including the ATP Finals in London.

Now, Nadal is under the microscope yet again. His loss to Anderson is nothing to panic about just yet, but it makes fans and players wonder whether or not he is ready for the 2019 ATP Tour.

Anderson noticed that Nadal’s serve was not as expected. That could be due to the knee or abdominal injuries that the Spanish tennis star has recently had to deal with. Time and more reps on the court will tell if the knee remains a major issue for the former world number one.

Next. BEST EVER: Federer or Williams?. dark

Heading into the early 2019 ATP Tour action, world number one Novak Djokovic remains the top contender in men’s singles tennis. He is the champion at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. Rafael Nadal must find a way to bounce back from his early loss and prove that he has what it takes to compete on the upcoming tour. Play at the Australian Open is rapidly approaching and Rafa, if healthy, could make a run.

Home/ATP