RAFA NADAL was left bloodied, bruised and dazed after whacking his nose with his own tennis racket.
In a bizarre turn of events, the Spaniard, 36, was taking a routine shot when his racket bounced off the US Open hard court and then smacked up against his hooter by mistake.
It left an open wound on the bridge of his nose and he immediately stopped playing as he was in such pain from the self-afflicted wound.
A physio immediately came on court and treated the bleeding cut as the 22-time Slam champion laid flat out on the ground by his chair.
The incident came during the fourth game of the fourth set in his second-round clash with Italian Fabio Fognini.
In the end, Nadal finished the job gone 12.30am local time, prevailing 2-6 6-4 6-2 6-1 even though he was given an almighty scare by Fognini.
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The Spaniard then took to Instagram at 1.35am local time to post a picture of himself showing off his plastered nose.
But he reassured fans there was no lasting damage as he wrote: "All good."
In the third round, Nadal now faces Frenchman Richard Gasquet against whom he has an unbeaten 17-match streak.
Nadal said: "I am okay now. Well, I was a little bit dizzy at the beginning. A little bit painful.
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"It has happened before with a golf club not a tennis racket!
"I tried to feel myself on the court, put some balls in, tried to be in the match because for more than one hour-and-a-half, I was not competing.
"One of the worst starts probably ever. But that is part of the game.
"You need to stay humble, accept the situations, it has been an easy months for me."
Nadal, a four-time US Open champion, is trying to win a third major of 2022 and lift a 23rd Slam of his career.
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