Rafael Nadal, of Spain, holds his nose during a medical timeout during a match against Fabio Fognini, of Italy. Photo / AP
Rafael Nadal, of Spain, holds his nose during a medical timeout during a match against Fabio Fognini, of Italy. Photo / AP
There were bizarre scenes during Rafael Nadal's second round match at the US Open when he accidentally hit himself in the face in a "freak accident".
The Spaniard started the match poorly against Fabio Fognini, losing the first set before eventually closing it out 2-6 6-4 6-2 6-1.
Nadal looked well below his best but recovered to win the next two sets and take control of the contest.
Just as it looked like he was cruising to victory in the fourth set, he was forced to take a medical timeout after inadvertently hitting himself in the face during a rally.
Rafael Nadal holds a bottle to his face during a medical timeout during a match against Fabio Fognini. Photo / AP
Nadal was off balance and reached low to his right to make a backhand but after hitting the shot, his racquet bounced off the ground and cannoned straight into his nose.
He immediately flinched in pain, walked over to his bench and lay down with his eyes closed while waiting for medical assistance.
Nadal was bleeding from the bridge of his nose but his nose was quickly patched up and he soon returned to the court and resumed play. Fans were stunned by the unusual incident.
Tennis reporter James Gray tweeted: "Wow. Rafa Nadal hits himself on the nose with his racket bounce off the court and cuts his nose … which requires an MTO. Not sure I've ever seen this before."
Rafael Nadal is treated by a trainer during a medical timeout during a match against Fabio Fognini. Photo / AP
ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk said: "Hope Rafael Nadal is okay. He just had a freak accident on the court where his racket hit the court and bounced back and struck his nose.
"Nadal, bloodied, walked to the net and then laid down flat on his back. After being treated, he's up."
The Washington Post's Ava Wallace posted: "Sheesh. Rafael Nadal ends up with a nasty, bloody cut on the bridge of his nose. After reaching for a backhand his racket bounced off the court and hit him in the face."
Rafael Nadal, wearing a bandage on his nose, returns a shot to Fabio Fognini. Photo / AP
CODE Sports' Lachlan McKirdy said: "The one person who can finally take down Rafa is … Rafa?"
The 36-year-old appeared relatively untroubled by the cut and went on to claim a four-set victory.
Asked after the match how he was feeling, Nadal replied: "Little bit dizzy at the beginning and a little bit painful."
He described the first set as "one of the worst starts" to a match in his career.
He will next face Richard Gasquet in the third round. Earlier this week, Nadal was given a scare when he lost the opening set of his first round match against unheralded Australian wildcard Rinky Hijikata.
