Rafael Nadal has disclosed his inability perform at the Madrid Open because of an important prolonged injury he sustained in Australia, which definitely impacts on his French Open preparations.
Nadal was already unable to play at the Barcelona Open as he is still recovering from a muscle injury in his left leg picked up at the Australian Open in January, Eurosport reports.
Recall that Nadal had already withdrawn from Indian Wells, the Miami Open and the Monte Carlo Masters as he continues to focus on returning fit.
The 22-time Grand Slam singles winner now faces a race against time to be match ready for the May 28 French Open.
“As you know I suffered an important injury in Australia of the psoas [muscle],” he said in a video he released on social media on Thursday.
“Initially it had to be a six to eight week recovery period and we are now on fourteen. The reality is that the situation is not what we would have expected.
“All medical indications have been followed, but somehow the evolution has not been what they initially told us and we find ourselves in a difficult situation.
“The weeks are passing and I had the illusion of being able to play in tournaments that are the most important in my career such as Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros and for the moment I have missed Monte Carlo and Barcelona. I will not be able to be in Madrid unfortunately.
“The injury still hasn’t healed and I can’t work out what I need to compete. I was training, but now a few days ago we decided to change course a bit, do another treatment and see if things improve to try to get to what comes next.
“I can’t give deadlines because if I knew I would tell you but I don’t know. This is how things are now,” Nadal added.
Eurosport tennis expert, Henin, has said that she believes Nadal will look to replicate the mental fortitude he needed to come back from a lengthy foot injury when he won the Australian Open and French Open in 2022.
“His energy to win the Australian Open was huge,” she told Laura Robson in Monte Carlo.
“He kept playing so well, kept winning and then through Roland-Garros – even though he had to go through some difficult things – he made it. The effort he had to put into it was huge.
“Maybe too much – we don’t know for the future. He wanted to win that Grand Slam again and will want [to again] if he can come to Roland-Garros this year. But time goes on, time flies and he’s also getting older.
“We hope Rafa has enough matches to come to Roland-Garros in good condition. It’s getting harder and harder but we have to remember that Rafa mentally is someone very special.
“For sure, he’s giving the best he can to be prepared and ready to be at his best in Paris in a few weeks, but he knows the situation much better than us,” She further expressed.
‘Nadal will always be my biggest rival, not Alcaraz,’ Djokovic stated.
Nadal’s latest withdrawal will surely raise concerns over his potential participation at the French Open as both he and his old rival, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, eye an outright-record 23rd Grand Slam singles title.
