Will Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev be 100% Fit for US Open 2019 Finals?

Rafael Nadal, who is on the brink of winning a 19th Grand Slam title will face the No.5 seed, Daniil Medvedev in the finals of the US Open 2019 at the Flushing Meadows on Sunday.

The two players battled their ways to reach the title match at the US Open 2019. It will certainly be necessary for each of them to be 100 percent fit in order to win the finals as the two have had some physical issues in the past.

Let’s see whether Daniil Medvedev and Rafael Nadal will be 100 percent fit for the US Open 2019 finals?

1. Long Season

Medvedev has had a pretty long season, playing almost 66 matches so far in 2019. The Russian also admitted that he has been through a very long season and hasn’t had a moment to review his performance off lately. “This summer has been so fast and long at the same time,” Medvedev said.

He further added, “Long because I’ve played so many matches. At the same time so fast because I haven’t had any moment to just sit down and look back and say I’ve done amazing things. Hopefully, I will have some time after Sunday. It’s going to be the last match in the United States this summer.”

2. Strapping on his legs

Daniil Medvedev had been struggling with a problem in his left leg especially during his match against Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals of the US Open 2019.

The 23-year-old then added a tape to prevent the left quadriceps issue that he said caused him to contemplate retiring in the opening set against Wawrinka.

3. Hip medical timeout

Daniil Medvedev took a medical timeout between sets 2 and 3 in his first round against Prajnesh Gunneswaran. The Russian had some problem in his hip which forced him to take a medical time out.

4.Cramps

Daniil Medvedev fought off cramps under the piercing sun in the second round of the US Open 2019. “I honestly don’t know how I won,” Medvedev said after the match. “At one moment in the match I thought ‘Okay, I cannot move anymore’.”

The world No.5 also struggled with cramps when he was on the brink of winning the Cincinnati Open 2019 final against David Goffin two weeks ago.

1. Left forearm problem

Rafael Nadal was may be suffering from an injury ahead of his clash against Matteo Berrettini on Friday, according to Annabel Croft. He also required treatment on his forearms during his clash against Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals of the US Open 2019.

The Spaniard was visited by the trainer early in the final set against Schwartzman. The trainer then spent the changeover rubbing cream into his left forearm. “Obviously he is leaning into his arm and he wouldn’t want that to be a problem,” Croft said Amazon Prime.

2. Cramps

Rafael Nadal had revealed that he was struggling with cramps in his elbow and even into his legs a little bit, which triggered due to heat at the Flushing Meadows in the quarterfinals against Diego Schwartzman. However, after a salt tablet kicked in, he felt better as he finished the match quickly.

He said in the post-match press conference, “I Had stomach issues before the match started and was dehydrated which triggered cramping. Today was a very heavy day. Big humidity. I am this kind of player where I sweat a bit. Sometimes under these conditions, it’s tough.”

3. Previous Retirements 

Rafael Nadal has previously retired three times from a Grand Slam match due to injury. All these three retirements came on hard courts – Australian Open 2010, Australian Open 2018 and 2018 US Open.

Last year, Nadal had retired from the US Open semifinals against Juan Martin Del Potro after an injury on his knee couldn’t let him continue the match.

The injury-prone career of Nadal has denied him to win some more Grand Slam titles in his career. However, this year, the world No.2 has been conscious of his calendar. He has also changed his playing style to avoid injuries and so far the Mallorcan has done well but Nadal’s body has always been prone to injury and he has had many problems on the hardcourt.