Defending champion Rafael Nadal crashed out of the Italian Open in the third round on Thursday with the record 10-time Rome winner complaining of a recurring foot problem after a shock 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 defeat by Canadian Denis Shapovalov.
Defeat in Rome for ‘King of Clay’ Nadal casts doubt over his prospects at the upcoming French Open, where he has been crowned champion 13 times but faces a threat from teenage phenomenon Carlos Alcaraz.
The 35-year-old, who had reached at least the quarter-finals every year in Rome since 2008, had been out for six weeks with a rib injury before returning for last week’s tournament in Madrid.
Nadal began limping in the third set, later telling reporters that a foot problem had flared up during the second set but couldn’t say whether he would be able to take part at Roland Garros.
“I’m not injured, I am a player living with an injury. That’s it,” Nadal told reporters.