Between 2005 and 2014, Rafael Nadal claimed at least one major title for ten consecutive seasons, setting a record that will hardly be surpassed. Plagued by injuries, the Spaniard only played seven matches after Wimbledon 2014 and lost momentum heading into the new season.
Nadal reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and Indian Wells in 2015, backed by a small ATP title on clay in early March. Andy Murray dethroned Nadal in Madrid, and Nadal experienced his second defeat at Roland Garros against Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
Rafa barely stayed in the top-10 for the next two months thanks to trophies won in Stuttgart and Hamburg. Nadal tried his best to find form ahead of the North American hard court tour, but to no avail. Nadal edged out Sergiy Stakhovsky and Mikhail Youzhny to advance to the round of 16 in Montreal, facing fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori in a semifinal battle.
It was his eighth meeting on the Tour and the Japanese’s first victory. The Japanese beat the Spanish 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 23 minutes to reach the semifinals. Kei’s first serve turned out to be the most powerful weapon of the day.
In two of the three break opportunities he had, the Japanese took it upon himself to press on the other side. Rafa committed six double faults and couldn’t do much on serve, receiving four breaks from as many chances offered to Kei and hitting the exit door.
Nishikori set up with two big winners in the second game of the match to put his name on the scoreboard. A few minutes later, he landed a break to take a lead and early momentum. Putting on a strong performance, Kei secured another break in game five and took the first set with a forehand winner at 5-2, hoping to get more in the second set.
Mark Ein praises Rafa Nadal
After the conclusion of the 2022 Citi Open on Sunday, tournament chairman Mark Ein weighed in on whether an American man winning a Major would increase the popularity of tennis in the country.
“I think we live in a world where players like Rafael Nadal and Nick can inspire kids of any nationality. If Frances Tiafoe wins a Grand Slam, that’s going to have a huge impact, because people see that he grew up in Maryland, in Washington, and he’s now at the top.
It would be wonderful,” Ein said. “I don’t think it’s required for the sport to thrive, but I do think it would be a real boost if and when it ultimately happens on the men’s side. It’s obviously been happening on the women’s side for a long time,” Ein added.
