Rafael Nadal

In front of a rowdy home crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the 22nd seed became the first man to beat Nadal on court in a grand slam this year. It also marks the ...

As he digested a bitter end to a great, complicated year, Nadal brushed off questions about his preparation and the abdominal injury that meant he only played in one tournament before the US Open. “But days will pass and I’ll keep going as I’ve done my whole life and I’m confident I have the inner strength to do it again.” So to see him post that, I was like, ‘Do I retweet it as soon as he sent it?’ I was like, ‘You know what, I’m going to be cool and act like I didn’t see it and then retweet it three hours later.’” “It’s been a few months a little difficult in every way, this is the reality. Hype has followed him since he was a teenager but he has had to be patient in adulthood, watching as his contemporaries rise up above him in the rankings and waiting to experience such moments himself. Am I ever going to be able to say I beat one of them?’ Today I was like, ‘No, I’m going to do that.’ So now, it’s something to tell the kids, the grandkids, ‘Yeah, I beat Rafa.’ Hopefully I never play him again, but hope I end with a win.” The NBA star LeBron James, Tiafoe’s idol, was among those to pay tribute to Tiafoe’s display on Twitter. “My legs were like cement,” said Tiafoe of the lengthy 4-3 game. “I was telling my agent, I felt like the world stopped. I was already tearing. I’m beyond happy, I’m almost in tears,” said Tiafoe during his on-court interview. It also marks the first time since Wimbledon 2017 that Nadal has lost before the quarter-final stage of a grand slam.

Rafael Nadal reflects on his fourth-round loss against Frances Tiafoe at the US Open, where he was pursuing his 23rd Grand Slam title.

The lefty made the semi-finals at [Wimbledon](https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/wimbledon/540/overview) before withdrawing due to injury. [Fabio Fognini](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/fabio-fognini/f510/overview). 7 [Richard Gasquet](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/richard-gasquet/g628/overview). “I was not able to do anything, any of these things this afternoon. I had a Love-30 in the first set, second serve, I missed the return. “But at the end of the day I need to analyse myself more than the opponent. I had that break, then I had again a 15/40. At the end the only thing that happened is we went to the fourth round of the That's the only way to improve or that's the only way that I understand you are able to find solutions.” “I was not able to hold a high level of tennis for a long time. Or maybe I lost [other] things because I was not able to create this interior power after all that injuries. “We can make lamentations or we can complain now about a lot of things, but I don't think that [is] going to change any situation,” Nadal said.

No. 22 seed Frances Tiafoe defeats Rafael Nadal to end the Spaniard's 22-match Grand Slam winning streak and reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the first ...

When one last backhand by Nadal found the net, Tiafoe chucked his racket and put his hands on his head. Earlier in the tournament, he lost the first set of his first-round match. "It signifies that the years go by," Nadal said. Then he made it to the semifinals at Wimbledon in July before withdrawing from that tournament because of a torn abdominal muscle. "At the end that's it." "I felt like the world stopped," Tiafoe said. "I mean, they're going to remember today for the rest of their lives." And he kept his cool, remained in the moment and never let the stakes or the opponent get to him. 2 Gustavo Kuerten in the first. They ended up in Maryland, where Constant helped construct a tennis training center for juniors, then became a maintenance man there; Alphina, Frances said, was "a nurse, working two jobs, working overtime through the nights." For them, I can't imagine what was going through their heads," said Tiafoe, a 24-year-old American seeded 22nd at the U.S. He was thrilled — overwhelmed, even — when the last point was over and it hit him that, yes, he had ended Rafael Nadal's 22-match Grand Slam winning streak Monday and reached the U.S.

Frances Tiafoe pulled off the performance of his career as he overpowered and outhit 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal to make the US Open quarter-finals ...

Tiafoe went on to break Nadal again before holding at 5-3. You have to thread the needle and play high risk otherwise you keep running like a yo-yo." Despite the result Nadal will still return to world No. He is one of the greatest of all time, I played unbelievable tennis today, I really don’t know what happened." US Open Nadal broke early in the fourth set and the early signs suggested the match was going to a fifth set, but he couldn’t consolidate the break.

All three players have a chance to be at the top of the rankings at the end of this week after Medvedev's early loss.

But if Nadal loses in the fourth round, like is the case for Alcaraz, just reaching the final will be enough for Ruud to become World No. Regardless of what happens elsewhere, if Alcaraz lifts the title on Sunday, he’ll be the World No. 1 ranking spot will be decided by the outcome of one match. But the Spaniard is also best placed to be at the top at the end of the fortnight. If he gets past Frances Tiafoe on Monday but loses in the quarterfinals, he will gain another 180 points, which will be enough as long as Ruud or Alcaraz don’t win the title. 1 spot could be his even before the final.

The 19-year-old was one of five men who could end the tournament as the top-ranked player and the race has been narrowed down to just three, with Rafael Nadal's ...

“I'm still a long way off, I have to win two or three matches and with an opponent as difficult as Sinner in front of me, I only think about that,” he continued. [Carlos Alcaraz](/latest/carlos-alcaraz) has responded to the prospect of becoming the new world No 1 for the first time after the US Open. And Alcaraz’s chances are better than ever following Nadal’s fourth-round exit as he is now the highest seed left in the draw and will no longer face a potential semi-final clash with his compatriot.

Rafael Nadal's priority is being fit for upcoming Grand Slams and not returning to the top of the ATP world rankings, his coach Carlos Moya has stressed.

For some reason, I don't know, mental issues in terms of a lot of things happened the last couple of months. That's the true. But then when the competition start, my level went down. 1 for the first time since February 2020](https://www.eurosport.com/tennis/us-open/2022/rafael-nadal-carlos-alcaraz-daniil-medvedev-or-casper-ruud-who-needs-what-to-win-no.-1-race-after-us_sto9109468/story.shtml)if neither Carlos Alcaraz nor Casper Ruud make the final of the US Open. [Casper Ruud holds nerve to overcome Matteo Berrettini and keep maiden US Open dream alive](https://www.eurosport.com/tennis/us-open/2022/no.-1-contender-casper-ruud-holds-nerve-to-overcome-matteo-berrettini-and-keep-maiden-us-open-dream_sto9129705/story.shtml) [Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Frances Tiafoe - 'their time has come' says John McEnroe](https://www.eurosport.com/tennis/us-open/2022/carlos-alcaraz-jannik-sinner-and-francis-tiafoe-their-time-has-come-says-john-mcenroe-at-2022-us-ope_sto9129290/story.shtml) But in other cases it went the right way, even with not the perfect preparation, no? “I have been practising well the week before, honestly. “I going to try to be ready mentally. But the Spaniard is still one of three players in the frame for the coveted top spot in the ATP rankings. But if it’s put in front of him, of course we’ll go for it.” “If you look at his schedule, it’s clear that it’s not a goal. The race to reach world No.

Tiafoe, a Hyattsville, Md., native, joined Andy Roddick and James Blake as the only Americans to defeat Nadal in a Grand Slam tournament.

She rose from 76th in the world at the end of that year to a career-high seventh this season after teaming up with David Witt, Venus Williams’s former longtime coach, and dedicating more time to the professional side of professional tennis: eating right, preparing thoroughly and taking care of her body. But in the next game, Nadal served two double faults and Tiafoe didn’t let the chance slip through his fingers. Am I ever going to be able to say I beat one of them? Today I was like, no, I’m going to do that,” Tiafoe said. “The biggest thing with things like that is the time I played him before, I got broken so early in each set,” Tiafoe said. Tiafoe’s victory denied Nadal the chance to expand his lead over Novak Djokovic (21) and Federer (20) in Grand Slam wins. His physical improvement has led to a He was the first man to beat Nadal at a major this year, with the Spaniard having won the Australian Open and the French Open. He had been practicing with a high level of intensity ahead of the tournament but couldn’t serve with the same ferocity because scar tissue on his abdomen limited his movement. When he clinched it by forcing a backhand error from Nadal, he chucked his racket toward his chair and placed his hands around his head. He is through to his first U.S. But Monday, with a smart, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Rafael Nadal, he displayed a tactician’s discipline in ousting the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

The next generation of top American players has struggled heavily against Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in Grand Slams. Tiafoe broke through with ...

He got the groups’s first win against the Big Three earlier this year, when he overcame an ankle injury during his warm-up and beat Nadal in the Tiafoe has always been the alpha of the group, always looking to rib his mates, especially Fritz. He cracked a rib ahead of the final of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., and then the pain in his foot returned just a few weeks before the French Open. Nadal struggled to find the court for much of the first two sets of his second-round match against Fabio Fognini of Italy. At the end the only thing that happened is we went to the fourth round of the U.S. “I’m not going to have that ‘first time playing him, excited to play,’” he said of Nadal after his third-round win against Diego Schwartzman, the 14th seed, eight spots higher than him. Then he started to feel better, played one tournament before the year’s first Grand Slam, and then won it, coming back from two sets down in the final against Medvedev, the world No. After a key winner gave him a decisive break of Nadal’s serve in the third set, he sprinted to his chair, revving up the crowd even more and letting the roars fall over him. He could barely walk on his chronically injured left foot six weeks before the Australian Open and thought he might have to retire. But he quickly came back to break Nadal’s serve in the next game, and then began hammering away and scampering across the court to chase down every ball he could reach and many he couldn’t. Tiafoe and his fellow 20-somethings have become solid members of the top 30 this year, but have yet to crack the next level. [strong and talented 24-year-old](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/20/sports/tennis/frances-tiafoe-australian-open.html) from Hyattsville, Md., who is one of the fastest players in the game and built like an N.F.L.

The men's tournament has been blown wide open by defeats for Daniil Medvedev and now Nadal.

For some reason, I don’t know, mental issues in terms of a lot of things that happened the last couple of months, maybe.” “I need to fix things, life, then I don’t know when I’m going to come back. [Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) I have been practising well the week before, honestly. [Privacy policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en) and [Terms of service](https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en) apply. Tiafoe, who took to the court in a hoodie celebrating Williams’ greatness, said of his win: “I don’t even know what to say right now. I played some really good tennis. When I feel that I will be ready to compete again, I will be there.” But then when the competition started, my level went down. I can’t believe it. I was not quick enough in my movements. He was able to take the ball too many times very early, so I was not able to push him back.

The 24-year-old had never won a set against Nadal and trailed the Spaniard 0-2 in their ATP Head2Head series prior to their meeting in New York.

“When I first came on the scene I felt like a lot of people had a lot of expectations on me on how I would do,” Tiafoe said. I am able to do me and do it my way and enjoy the game I love.” Tiafoe stuck to his game plan, though, and worked his way back into the set. He then hit a double fault at 30/40 to gift the Spaniard the set. In a lively first set, Tiafoe quickly found his range from the baseline. 24-year-old had never won a set against Nadal and trailed the Spaniard 0-2 in their ATP Head2Head series prior to their meeting in New York.

Rafael Nadal has had an extremely successful year in his return after several injuries to the top of professional tennis in the ATP, and when it comes to ...

A month later came Wimbledon, and in London Nadal did not win the title, but he did not lose a game either, since after defeating Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals in an epic five-set match, including a tie-break in the final, he had to abandon the tournament and not play in the semifinals against the controversial Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal muscle torn. Nadal won the first two Grand Slams of the year, in the Australian Open he ended up beating Daniil Medvedev in the final, coming from behind after losing the first two sets to win and become the single largest Grand Slam winner in history, later in his favorite tournament, Roland Garros, he showed his great dominance on clay and easily defeated the young Norwegian Casper Ruud in the final by 6-3, 6-3, 6-0. [Rafael Nadal's bad luck to the max: Terrible blow to the nose with his own racket](https://www.marca.com/en/tennis/us-open/2022/09/02/63118b4be2704e97288b45b0.html) [Rafael Nadal](https://www.marca.com/en/tennis/rafael-nadal.html) has had an extremely successful year in his return after several injuries to the top of professional tennis in the ATP, and when it comes to [Grand Slams](https://www.marca.com/en/tennis.html) was very close to having an immaculate year, however, Monday's loss to the surprising American tennis player Frances Tiafoe prevented an undefeated year in the four major tournaments of the sport.

Tiafoe put on the performance of his career Monday to knock 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal out of the U.S. Open 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Tiafoe has a charismatic game and an amazing backstory, as his parents won a green card lottery to immigrate to the U.S. And even when Nadal pulled even in the second set, then took a break lead in the third, Tiafoe kept his composure and responded with even more aggression. Now he’s got the biggest victory of his career to prove it. Tiafoe advances to the quarterfinals of a major for just the second time in his career and first since the 2019 Australian Open. The favorite for the title may well now by Nick Kyrgios, who made the Wimbledon final earlier this year and knocked Medvedev out of the tournament with a stunningly good four set performance. Open champion, is the only major winner remaining in the draw.

The Australian has suggested that the 22-time Grand Slam champion may look to retire after winning one more French Open given the quality of the new wave of ...

If he goes back to the Australian Open and runs into a Tiafoe or someone similar where he only plays to win slams. It was the Spaniard’s first loss in a major tournament this year having won the Australian Open and followed it up with his customary success in France before being forced to pull out of The Australian has suggested that the 22-time Grand Slam champion may look to retire after winning one more [French Open](/latest/french-open) given the quality of the new wave of youngsters that are coming through.

Rafael Nadal's uncertain future following US Open exit, Dawson Knox's gratitude for Bills' support, and are Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua finally going to ...

[PSG vs Juventus](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/psg-vs-juventus-time-tv-stream-lineups-odds-champions-league/fnhr4tepl8wjutae2we2daet)and [Real Madrid’s trip to Celtic](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/celtic-vs-real-madrid-time-tv-channel-stream-odds-champions-league/gpl0vinzbt5axabcsuopcki6)among Tuesday’s highlights [Aaron Judge hits 54th home run of the season](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/yankees-aaron-judge-home-run-pace-tracker-mlb-record/rpo0pkegydgvf6akk1pw3qad) [Rafael Nadal knocked out in shock defeat to Francis Tiafoe](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/tennis/news/rafael-nadal-suffers-shock-us-open-exit-frances-tiafoe-draw-opens-kyrgios-and-alcaraz/j8o4unovhgaa9xrubrbqxfid), but Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz make the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows

Rafa did not arrive at the US Open at his best, struggling with an abdominal injury since Wimbledon and playing only one match between two Majors. Nadal kicked ...

Nadal stayed competitive and grabbed a break at 2-1 in the fourth set. The American grabbed a break at 3-3 in the third set and held with an ace in game ten to wrap up the set and move closer to the finish line. Nadal needed a medical timeout after the opening set, and he played well in the second to score one break and level the overall score. The youngster delivered his only break in the opener for a surprising lead before the veteran shifted into a higher gear and advanced with five return games on his tally. After that, Nadal will start practicing again, and it seems more evident that we will not see him at the upcoming Laver Cup. Rafael Nadal is heading back home to Mallorca following the fourth-round US Open loss.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner was knocked out of the US Open after a shock fourth round defeat to American Frances Tiafoe at Flushing Meadows, and following ...

I was not able to hold a high level of tennis for a long time. "I was not quick enough in my movements. I'm going to try to be ready mentally. However, now Nadal is heading back home to spend some precious time with his wife. Nadal has won the Australian and French Opens already this year but exited Flushing Meadows at the fourth round stage. It's been a few months a little difficult in every way, this is the reality.

For the first time in the professional era, the U.S. Open will have just one quarterfinalist across the women's and men's draws who already has won a major ...

But there were great champions in the past and there will be again. The fans have to be ready for a new generation, as well.” The only other men with more than one in that span are Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka, with three apiece. There is no reason to think Djokovic, 35, will not remain a Slam contender for some time — when he can get into the country hosting the tournament, that is. Open, whether merely symbolic or truly portentous, offers a glimpse at the current and future states of the game. Of the 16 singles quarterfinalists across the women’s and men’s brackets, 15 never have won so much as one major championship anywhere (the exception is Iga Swiatek, a 21-year-old from Poland who is No. Federer, 41, hasn’t played since Wimbledon in July 2021 and had a series of operations on his right knee. According to the U.S. Those four players dominated, and were the main draws, in tennis for decades, collecting a total of 86 Grand Slam singles titles, each with at least 20. “Some depart, others come and the world keeps going. Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer (more on them later) weren’t even in the tournament. Rafael Nadal lost in the fourth round.