Nadal was able to force his opponent to smash his racket into the ground, however. Winning a game as Thompson served for the match, but he was able to keep his composure in order to deny the veteran a fairytale return from injury.
Nadal and his team will hope that his medical timeout was only a precaution and he was able to play on, but with the Australian Open less than two weeks away they will be fearing the worst.
The grimace on Nadal’s face did not make for pleasant viewing, but he will be able to take a few days to rest before travelling to Melbourne for the first Major of the year as he hopes to be healthy enough to compete.
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