Rafael Nadal has announced that will not compete in the Australian Open after the injury he suffered in the quarterfinal match of the Brisbane tournament: «Right now I am not prepared to compete at the highest level demanding in 5-set matches. “I’m returning to Spain to see my doctor, receive treatment and rest,” the tennis player communicated through his social networks.
During his last match, against Jordan Thompson, he exposed his body to a maximum requirement of three hours and 25 minutes with a lot of power in each hit. And already at the end of the second set, a hand that went to the groin area made Nadal wince and cause serious faces in his box. At 1-4 of the third set, he called the physiotherapist to massage the area. At the end of the match, the Spaniard hoped that it was an overload, the logical consequence of putting his body under a lot of tension after being stopped for so long. And he explained that he had not had pain or the same sensation that he had when he was injured on January 18, 2023 due to a tear in the iliopsoas. For this reason, his words denoted caution: “We’ll see how I get up tomorrow and the day after tomorrow,” he said hopefully, trusting that it would have been a “super overload,” so his return week would have been positive despite the defeat (5- 7, 7-6 (6) and 6-3).
However, it was a “small problem in a muscle” and he opted to have an MRI to check the incidence. The result: “I have a micro tear in a musclenot in the same part where I had the injury and that is good news,” the athlete reported.
Hi all, during my last match in Brisbane I had a small problem on a muscle that as you know made me worried. Once I got to Melbourne I have had the chance to make an MRI and I have micro tear on a muscle, not in the same part where I had the injury and that’s good news.
Right… pic.twitter.com/WpApfzjf3C— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) January 7, 2024
Despite the good feelings of the three games, his body tells him that he is not yet ready to attack the circuit that has not stopped increasing its power in his absence. And although it is a minor injury, Nadal does not want to expose himself to greater damage in Melbourne, with five-set matches and maximum commitment from the beginning, since not being seeded could face the top tennis players from the first round. . Thus, he has decided to return to Spain to continue his recovery: «I have worked very hard during the year for this return and, as I always mentioned, My goal is to be at my best level in 3 months».
Nadal pauses his career again. Which adds to the calvary that the tennis player has experienced in 2023 after his injury at the Australian Open last year, which included an operation in June to try to fix the tendon, and which has led him to spend a year away from the courts, in a reconstruction process which only began a little more seriously in October, and with a little more intensity in the month of December.
«Within the sad news for me for not being able to play in front of the incredible Melbourne crowd, this is not bad news and we all continue to be positive with the evolution of the season. “I really wanted to play here in Australia and I have had the opportunity to play some matches that have made me very happy and positive,” concluded the tennis player, who thanked all his followers for their support after his return to the courts.
Nadal’s return roadmap
Hopefully now Nadal focus on returning ready for the clay season with the aim of being able to compete for the last time at Roland Garros, its favorite tournament, which this year is held from May 20 to June 9.
But your calendar from now on depends more if possible on what your body sends, on what you feel day after day. Playing more from day to day than from tournament to tournament. He has a couple of appointments lined up, like that exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz on March 3 in Las Vegas, organized by Netflix, and he also asked for a place at the Conde de Godó, in Barcelona in April, but everything will depend on how each player gets up. tomorrow.
2024-01-07 09:19:29
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