Rafael Nadal is keeping his fingers crossed he will be able to play in the Australian Open after needing medical treatment during a gruelling loss to Jordan Thompson at his comeback tournament. Nadal looked poised to claim another straight-sets win at the Brisbane International when he brought up a first match point in the 10th game of the second set but missed a backhand overhead. Two more chances followed in the tie-break but Nadal was unable to take either and his Australian opponent fought back to claim a 5-7, 7-6, 6-3 victory after three hours and 25 minutes. More concerning was the off-court medical timeout Nadal took at 1-4 in the deciding set, although he was able to continue without too much apparent discomfort. The 37-year-old had surgery on his left hip in June after being sidelined since suffering an injury at last January’s Australian Open and revealed the latest problem is in the same area.
