Rafael Nadal has pushed his start date at the Mutua Madrid Open from Tuesday to Wednesday in hopes to recover from a painful ear infection (otitis) before he commences his assault on a fifth title in the Spanish capital.
The world No5, who is on a 10-match winning streak that included trophy runs in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, first felt the pain late on Friday and admits it’s been an unpleasant experience.
“Yeah, it’s painful. Happened on Friday night. I wake up 3:00 in the morning with pain on the ear,” Nadal told reporters at the Caja Magica on Monday.
“No, I am still practicing. But today little bit better than yesterday. But still bothering me. Is something new for me. I never had. Is something that it really bothers a lot because is pain all around and on the head. Sometimes you get dizzy little bit with that.
“But it’s fine. I visit the doctor two days ago. Is nothing important. Just takes little bit long, few days. Hopefully going to be good. I supposed to play Tuesday. That was the idea, I think. That was my goal. But with that probably going to be much better play Wednesday.”
Nadal opens his Madrid campaign against temperamental Italian Fabio Fognini, who had a famous five-set win against him at the US Open in 2015. Nadal has beaten Fognini all three times that followed that meeting in New York and is 8-3 head-to-head against him.
After losing his first three finals of the year (to Roger Federer at the Australian Open, to Sam Querrey in Acapulco, to Federer in Miami), Nadal turned things around with triumphs on the clay of Monaco and Barcelona and is now looking to extend his winning run.
Full house, for Rafa’s practice.
“Right now I feel fine. I’m very happy because of the start of the year, not only because of the start of the clay season. I think in general it’s been some very good months,” said Nadal.
“Of course, since the beginning of the clay season, I needed to win a title after playing a few finals. I’m very happy for having achieved that.
“Right now we’re here in another event. We’ll leave the past behind us. I’m happy for all I achieved. It is something that is behind my back. It’s something that is very hard to achieve.
“We’re here to play another tournament, a very different tournament. It’s very important for all of us, especially for me, because it’s very special for me to play at home once again.”
Nadal seems to be enjoying a surge in form but the Mallorcan insists there hasn’t been a dramatic change in his game, or the way he’s been doing things.
“Basically what I’m doing better or what I’ve been doing better for the last couple of months is that I’ve been playing way better than what I did in 2015. Last year I had an injury, but I was playing well, too,” he explains.
“My game now is not so good. My game before was not so bad. You don’t have to lie to yourself. There are just things you try to develop, try to have evolution with. You just need goals. You have to just train with joy. You just want to be able to do things better.”
The 30-year-old has been accompanied in Madrid by both his coaches, Toni Nadal and Carlos Moya, who was added to his team at the start of this season.
Best of frenemies? Nadal and Djokovic.
Asked to comment on Novak Djokovic’s recent decision to part ways with his entire coaching staff that had been with him for more than a decade, Nadal said: “I think if he believes that he needs that, for sure is the right decision. That’s it.”
