RAFA NADAL was left bloodied, bruised and dazed after hitting his nose with his own tennis racket.<br /><br />In a strange turn of events, the 36-year-old Spaniard was taking a routine swing when his racket bounced off the US Open hard court and then hit his buzzer by mistake.<br /><br />It left an open wound on the bridge of his nose and he immediately stopped playing as he was in so much pain from the self-inflicted wound.<br /><br />A physio immediately entered the court and treated the bleeding cut as the 22-time Slam champion lay on the ground next to his chair.<br /><br />The incident occurred during the fourth game of the fourth set in his second round clash with Italy's Fabio Fognini.<br /><br />The Spaniard then took to Instagram at 1:35 a.m. local time to post a photo of himself showing off his plastered nose.<br /><br />But he assured fans there was no lasting damage as he wrote: "All good."<br /><br />In the third round, Nadal now faces France's Richard Gasquet, against whom he is on a 17-match unbeaten streak.<br /><br />Nadal said: "I'm fine now. Well, I was a bit dizzy at the beginning. A bit painful.<br /><br />"It's happened before with a golf club, not a tennis racket!<br /><br />“I tried to feel myself on the court, I put some balls in, I tried to be in the game because for more than an hour and a half I was not competing.<br /><br />"Probably one of the worst starts ever. But that's part of the game."<br /><br />"You have to be humble, accept situations, it's been easy months for me."<br /><br />Nadal, a four-time US Open champion, is looking to win a third major of 2022 and lift the 23rd major of his career.
