That’s one of the biggest mysteries the Australian Open is playing right now. Imagine being a professional tennis player like Rafael Nadal. You have all your habits, but more than that, you have the habits of a professional tennis player, which implies having a different racket for each different game.
You can have a racket when you serve, another when you return, and maybe one for a special opponent. But suddenly, one of the rackets is missing and you can’t play the way you want. That’s what happened to the tennis superstar as you can see in the following video.
It’s not every day: Rafa Nadal’s racket goes missing. pic.twitter.com/qbvPUh4xem
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 16, 2023
In the middle of the first set against his opponent of the day, Jack Draper, Nadal tried to explain to the empire that he could not find his racket anymore. So where is the racket? What actually happened? Well, that’s our investigation today. So let’s start the Mystery Machine with the whole crew to find out who stole Rafael Nadal’s racket.
Certain Rackets
First of all, let’s hear why Rafael Nadal needs this racket. He told the referee: “I need the racket back! This is not one. I need moisturizer and everything”. In this sentence, he is referring to the small rubber that is placed between the strings to reduce the impact when a tennis player hits a shot.
So this means that this racket is very important. American player Jack Draper is known for his big serves and very deep and difficult shots. That’s why Nadal needs that particular racket to play his best tennis. But let’s get back to our investigation, who is responsible for the disappearance of this racket?
‘The soccer boy took my racket’
Yes, you read the headline right, It’s the ball boy’s fault! But how is that possible? How can a ball boy pick up a professional tennis player’s racket like this without asking anyone? Normally, he doesn’t have to, because there are several codes in tennis, but with Rafael Nadal, the code is not the same.
In reality, the ball boy had done his job and there was confusion. Rafael Nadal said he needed a string for one of his rackets, but because of his habits and the way he placed objects on his chair, it was not clear which racket the ball boy should take. So the ball boy took the wrong racket and Rafael Nadal couldn’t get it back because someone was working on it at the time he asked for it.
However, in the end, Rafael Nadal ended up winning the game in 4 sets, so it wasn’t a big deal. During the interview, he smiled about the situation as he was during the game. He described it as a “funny situation” and said “no problem at all”, It can happen. However, this funny event is the last of the tournament for the players.
Nadal is out of the Australian Open
Unfortunately for him, at the time this article was written, Rafael Nadal had lost the second round against American star and former UCLA player Mackenzie McDonald due to injury. Rafael Nadal already had a tough time at the end of 2022, but this time, it happened early in the tournament, and at the age of 36.
As you know, his best friend, Roger Federer, retired last year due to several injuries and of course, his age. The Swiss was 40 when he played his last match and knew it was time to end his career.
MEGA
And while Rafael Nadal has come back a few times after people say it’s his last year, this time, it appears to be the case.
Usually, when this kind of situation happens to him, he just gets tired and starts losing matches towards the end of the tournament. After that, he may withdraw for some early tournaments in February/March to prepare for the French Open. That’s pretty much what he does every year. But this time, it’s not the same, because his injury already happened in November, and already back at the beginning of the season.
So, of course, don’t be too dramatic, it’s not Rafael Nadal’s last match and he might be able to play in the clay season. But maybe, this time, it’s the last year we’ll see the 22-time grand slam winner play on the tour. Only time will tell, but let’s hope for the best for this legend.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
