Rafael Nadal’s hopes of being healthy and in form by the French Open took a significant blow late on Thursday as he struggled badly with his chronic foot injury and lost 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 to a resilient Denis Shapovalov in the third round of the Italian Open.
After a fractured rib forced Nadal to miss the start of clay season, the Spaniard had been in a race against time to gain sufficient matchplay for the opening slam of the season. But an even greater impediment was the flareup of the foot injury that had forced him out of the game for six months last year. Nadal finished the match unable to properly move, limping and grimacing between points as he continually gestured in frustration to his team.
