January 5th 2024.
Rafael Nadal had a scare in his Friday defeat against Jordan Thompson in the Brisbane International. This was Nadal's first tournament back after a 12-month injury break and he had been in impressive form, winning his first two matches.
In the second set, Nadal had the chance to close out the win in 10 games but missed a backhand overhead. He had three more chances in the tie-break but couldn't convert as Thompson came out on top 5-7 7-6 6-3 in three hours and 25 minutes.
More concerning, however, was that Nadal appeared exhausted in the third set and needed medical treatment for his left thigh. After the match, he said he didn't feel anything drastic like he did last year, but he was scared due to the fact that it was in the same place. He declared himself happy with how the week had gone, though he was uncertain about how he would feel in the upcoming days.
Nadal remained hopeful that the injury wouldn't be too serious and that he would be able to practice and participate in the Australian Open. For now, he said he would wait and see how he felt the next couple of days.
This match was an epic battle, with both players fighting until the very end. Thompson was victorious in the end, but Nadal was gracious in defeat, congratulating his opponent and hoping that the injury wouldn't be too serious.
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