A Citi Open Loss For Rafael Nadal
Steve Fogleman in Washington
Rafael Nadal’s comeback tour hit a speed bump tonight with a 4-6, 6-1, 4-6 nail biter with Lloyd Harris at the Citi Open ATP 500 in Washington. Harris was 1-5 against top 10 opponents with his best result against #4 Sascha Zverev, so it’s the biggest result of his singles career. After the match, Nadal said that his nagging foot pain felt better today and lamented that “the most painful thing is to not be able to be on court in front of this amazing crowd no?.”
We asked whether he was exhausted from last night’s incredible win over a motivated Jack Sock in three sets.
No way, he replied. “No, I was ready. The most positive thing is my foot was better today than yesterday,
so that’s the best news possible. I played against a player that played well.”
“So that’s the sport. You can’t have mistakes in the key moments, and in the key moments I think in the last game, yeah, I was a little bit more nervous. My serve was not working the proper way. And that’s it. Yes, well done for him. Is a great victory for him. I wish him all the very best.”
—S. Fogleman
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Tennis Atlantic 