Australian Open 2014 Results & Schedule: Rafael Nadal Injures Hand Against Grigor Dimitrov; Treatment May Affect Title Bid

It was a bittersweet moment for Number 1 contender Rafael Nadal after beating Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov with the score 3-6 7-6 7-6 6-2, during the Australian Open match yesterday.

However, what most sports fans didn't know was Nadal was going through excruciating pain during the duration of the match. In the grueling 3 hours and 37 minutes of the game against Dimitrov, the Spaniard endured a blister the size of a quarter on his serving hand.

An article on the Herald Sun reported how the blister affected Nadal's performance. He said, "I feel that with the tape, I can lose the racquet when I'm serving," he adds, "That's my feeling, the racquet can go. That's a terrible feeling for a serve, because then when you have this feeling, you are not able to accelerate at the right moment. You lose a little bit the coordination. That's a big deal."  

Photos of Nadal's left hand posted on Mail Online exactly shows what the determined athlete went through during the match. Aside from the bandages on his palm, Nadal fingers were also wrapped due to calluses.

Physiotherapist Paul Ness of the Association of Tennis Professionals told Atpworldtour.com that Nadal's injury may have developed as the movement of the racquet tore off the callus on the surface of his palm, leaving a wound.

"Any time you end up with an open wound, it's going to be painful - and really difficult to pad and have the dressing stay in place," Ness commented, as reported by Mail Online.

For now, Nadal tends to his injured hand before facing off against legendary rival Roger Federer for the 11^th time in the Australian Open semi-finals happening tomorrow.

But it seems that Nadal was not the only one dealing with uncomfortable circumstances during the Australian Open. With temperatures in Melbourne exceeding 40C, many players have described the conditions "inhumane".

In fact, Canadian player Frank Dancevic hallucinated and claimed to have seen animated character Snoopy on the court before fainting during a game. Aside from this, another player vomited while in the middle of his match and a ball boy fainted because of the heat.