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 Damir 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 to retire from the match.
“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.