What Knee Injury? Nadal Looks Great

Previous top ranked tennis player Rafael Nadal will take on Fernando Gonzalez during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open later today.

Following a range of issues that he might not be physically healed from a knee injury that kept him inactive for most of the summer, he has proven cynics mistaken with some exceptional play via his first four matches at the event.

Nadal’s tendinitis forced him to skip Wimbledon earlier this summer, a grand slam that he won in 2008. Unable to defend his finals and having missed several other events, Nadal lost his ATP number one ranking to Roger Federer, who capitalized on Nadal’s hiatus with a win at Wimbledon.

Nadal furthermore lost the world’s second ranking to Andy Murray, but reclaimed it with his fourth round victory at the US Open earlier this week.

Nadal has appeared to be playing at close to his top echelon in this tournament as he defeated Frenchman Gael Monflis in 4 |sets in the 4th round, seeming as quick as ever on the court.

Gonzalez however defeated another Frenchman, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the round of sixteen.

Gonzalez has beaten Nadal once prior to this, during the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in 2007, but considering the way Nadal has been in the US Open, he ought to be incredibly convinced about sealing a place in the semifinals.

Nadal took fans of the sport by surprise this past year when he emerged victorious at Wimbledon for the first time. Nadal built on that performance by winning the gold medal at the Olympics for singles. He proceeded to end the year as best in the world for the first instance in his lifetime.

The U.S. Open is the only critical slam absent from Nadal’s shining list of accomplishments, and if his present form is any indicator, it might take a brave fan to bet versus Rafa winning in NY on Sunday.

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