A rain break could only delay the inevitable. He broke serve at the first opportunity in the fourth set and then moved in for the kill, his backhand getting harder and faster as he did so. These days languishing at 105th, he did not have the armoury to convert hope into reality. There is a reason why the highest world ranking Berankis has achieved in his career was 50th back in 2016. It allowed him to peg back a set and for a moment seem as if he had a chance of overturning all logic and precedent. Strong at the net, he had a particularly effective chop of a backhand volley which accrued him half a dozen points. But it was not for want of the Lithuanian trying. The 5’9” Berankis was wearing the same headband, the same buttock clinging shorts, the same sweatbands as the Spaniard. And his influence on his sport remains profound. The refined combination of power and delicacy appears to be in full working order.

But he is the current Australian and French Open champion and for all the depredations of time on his physique, the idea he is finished is preposterous. It may not have been the relentless Nadal we have grown used to over the years, with his cold-eyed ability to bend the narrative to his will. Much to the relief of the Wimbledon organisers, Rafael Nadal marches on towards his 23rd grand slam, after victory over Ricardas Berankis.

The Spaniard will play Lorenzo Sonego in the third round.

Nadal hits 39 unforced errors but triumphs in four sets.

At that point, the trainer was already making his way to Nadal and an official medical timeout was called. Nadal, still on the ground, said he did feel a little bit dizzy. Nadal closed his eyes, and Fognini asked him in Spanish if he felt dizzy.

When the audience saw it, they reacted accordingly. It happened really fast, so the crowd wasn't sure what was going on until a slow motion replay was shown on the big screen. During a follow-through after hitting the ball back to Fognini, Nadal's racket hit the hard court at Arthur Ashe Stadium and it bounced back straight to his face. Nadal held a 3-0 lead when all of a sudden he was seen dropping his racket, walking off the court and laying down while grabbing his face.Īt first, one of the commentators guessed it was a nose bleed, but it was actually a cut on the right side of his nose. By the fourth set, it seemed like the Spanish star had it all under control. The 22-time Grand Slam champion was off to what he described as one of his 'worst starts, probably ever,' but he got it together and started improving in the second set. And along with overcoming a bad start, the tennis veteran also dealt with an unusual self-inflicted incident in the fourth set. Rafael Nadal advanced to the third round of the 2022 US Open after defeating Fabio Fognini 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 on Thursday night.

Nadal score today