Injured Nadal falls to defeat

DEFENDING champion Rafael Nadal was hampered by a foot injury as his bid for a recordextending 11th Italian Open crown was ended by a three-set defeat to Denis Shapovalov.

Nadal’s movement was severely compromised towards the end of this last-16 encounter in Rome by a chronic issue which the Spaniard feared as recently as December would end his career.

With the French Open set to begin on May 22, doubts will increase over whether Nadal will even make it to Paris and, if he does, whether he can be competitive having just returned to action after a broken rib.

“I had my foot again with a lot of pain, and that’s it,” a forlorn Nadal said after a 1-6 7-5 6-2 defeat.

“(The pain) is sometimes more, sometimes less. Today was crazy.

“I am not injured. I am a player living with an injury. That’s it. (This) is nothing new.

“Unfortunately my day-by-day is difficult, honestly. Even like this, I am trying hard. Of course, it’s difficult for me to accept the situation sometimes.

“What can happen in the next couple of days, I don’t know. What can happen in one week, I really don’t know now. It’s the time to accept the situation and fight. That’s it.”

There were no such problems for world No 1 and reigning French Open champion Novak Djokovic, who beat Stan Wawrinka 6-2 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals.