"I started to feel dizzy, not very good, it was getting worse & worse" - When Rafael Nadal was met with boos after mid-match retirement in Miami
Rafael Nadal once retired from his second-round match at the 2016 Miami Open against Damir Dzumhur due to feeling unwell. His decision to withdraw midway through the match led to some boos from the crowd, despite the health concerns he faced.
Nadal, seeded fifth at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, received a first-round bye and began his campaign in the second round against Dzumhur. Despite seeking medical attention twice during the match, he struggled to continue and eventually retired midway with the score at 6-2, 4-6, 0-3.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion later addressed his retirement in a press conference, explaining that he felt fine up until the end of the first set. However, during the second set, he began feeling dizzy and realized he couldn't continue, leading to his decision.
"Everything was fine until the end of the first set," he said. "Then I started to feel dizzy, not very good. It was getting worse and worse."
"I wanted to finish the match, but I seriously could not. It was tough, because I felt I was playing well. I stopped because I was concerned for my health," he added.
Rafael Nadal on withdrawing from Miami Open 2016: "It's a very bad feeling"
Rafael Nadal's retirement during the 2016 Miami Open was notable as it was his first mid-match withdrawal in six years. The previous instance occurred at the 2010 Australian Open, where he had to retire in the quarterfinals against Andy Murray due to a right knee injury.
During a press conference in Miami, Nadal expressed his disappointment about having to retire, stating that he felt "bad" for not being able to finish the match.
"It's a very bad feeling. Even with very bad conditions, I finished a lot of the matches in my career because I didn't want to retire. Like Australian Open a couple of times; few more," he said.
However, the Spaniard stressed that his health was paramount, expressing uncertainty about his condition, which ultimately compelled him to make the tough choice.
"But today was suffering for the health, for my health, so I didn't know what's going on. I decided to stop because I was not sure that I can finish the match that way," he said.
"Sometimes I felt something similar, but today was not -- I was a little bit worse, so that's why I have to stop," he added.