Rafael Nadal has been dealing with a foot injury for the past few months, skipping Wimbledon, the Olympics, Toronto and Cincinnati. One foot has been one of Nadal’s Achilles heels over the years, and he already had to wrestle with it as a teenager in 2005.
Rafa wrote history books that year, lifting 11 ATP titles and entering the top 2 alongside Roger Federer. After blowing a huge lead against the Swiss in the Miami Open final, Rafa bounced back on clay and won Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome and Roland Garros with an incredible streak at such a young age.
After a short campaign on grass, Nadal secured another notable crown in Montreal, beating Andre Agassi in the title clash and lifting the trophy in his first tournament as no.
2! At the end of the season, the young Spaniard celebrated another title in front of the home crowd at the Madrid Open, winning his first and only indoor hard crown. Nadal defeated four opponents in straight sets to set up Ivan Ljubicic’s clash, facing an opponent in form who claimed two indoor titles in the previous weeks.
After a titanic battle, Rafa won 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 after three hours and 53 minutes, making one of his most impressive comebacks in a race and enjoying one of the proudest moments in his early years.
However, the title came at a high price, as Rafa suffered a foot injury during the battle, enduring the pain but barely standing the next day! Nadal had to skip the rest of the season and postpone his Masters Cup debut, returning only in February 2006 after missing the first Major of the season at the Australian Open.
Nadal broke his foot in the final of the 2005 Madrid Open
Still, Nadal describes the victory as one of the most important and says a broken foot was worth it. After a terrible start, Rafa found his game A in sets three and four to force a decider, where he fell 2-0 behind.
The Spaniard bounced back immediately after Ivan’s double fault, and they reached a tiebreaker in which Nadal opened a 3-0 lead with a beautiful cross forehand. Two crucial points on serve moved the youngster 5-2 up, and he scored another mini-break after Ljubicic’s tired forehand.
Rafa converted the first after another forehand missed by the Croatian to fall to the ground in disbelief, starting a huge celebration of what has been one of his most memorable triumphs on the Tour.
“My most precious memory of the Madrid Open dates back to 2005, when I won the first title. It was the final, but not on clay. It was an unforgettable match, very exciting; I remember the fans were incredible.
The game cost me a few months of my career. I broke my foot, but it was worth it. It was worth the excitement I experienced; made it impossible to forget. The next day I woke up and was limping.
I could not walk. The fans were very close, and since it was indoors, it was louder. It was amazing to win at home like that; Besides, I was just a child, ”said Rafael Nadal.
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