Rafael Nadal Raises Alarm Over Physical Problems Ahead of Roland Garros

The Spanish tennis player referred to his physical problems one day before his debut at the Madrid Masters 1000

While waiting for his debut at the Masters 1000 in Madrid, Rafael Nadal launched a phrase regarding his physical condition that set off alarms for the next Grand Slam at Roland Garros, where the Spaniard will seek his 15th title on clay of Paris and thus increase its dominance.

“If you can, you can. If you can’t, you can’t. Seriously, I’m not going to play Paris like I am today. If it were Paris today, I wouldn’t go out on the track. This is the reality,” said the 37-year-old tennis player at the press conference prior to his debut (Thursday, April 25) against the American Darwin Blanch in the tournament in the Spanish capital that will be held at the Caja Mágica.

Given the forceful response, Rafa then ruled out that an eventual absence in France in May would be the end point of his season or even his career. “The world is not going to end with Roland Garros, although it has been without a doubt the most important tournament of my career. But hey, it doesn’t mean that if I don’t play Roland Garros everything will end there. There are Olympic Games ahead, there are different formats in which it could be played and that I could be excited about,” he said in reference to the Paris Olympics, from July 26 to August 11, in which, according to the Spanish press, , could participate as a couple with Carlos Alcaraz.

Nadal, who is currently ranked 512 in the ATP rankings due to his long absence from the circuit, has barely competed since January 2023 due to various physical problems. The Mallorcan confirmed that it will be the last time he plays the Madrid Masters 1000, a tournament that he has won five times (2005, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2017): “I don’t think I can play at one hundred percent, but it is important to be able to play playing for the last time in Madrid, for me it means a lot to play on this court where I have lived very beautiful moments.”

Rafael Nadal questioned his participation in Roland Garros (REUTERS/Susana Vera)

Winner of 22 Grand Slams (14 of them on the Paris clay), Nadal suffered a hip injury in January 2023 during the Australian Open that sidelined him from competition for the rest of the season.

He returned last January at the tournament in Brisbane, Australia, where he played three matches, but again suffered a muscle injury in his thigh that prevented him from playing regularly again and having to withdraw from tournaments such as the Australian Open and the Masters 1000. from Indian Wells and Monte Carlo.

Nadal, who already announced that 2024 would “probably” be his last season, returned to compete last week at the ATP 500 in Conde de Godó, in Barcelona, ​​where he lost in the second round to the Australian Alex de Miñaur. “I want to finish the tournament alive on a physical level. I am here to give myself an opportunity to look for better situations. I want to be ready if the situation changes,” he added about his state of health.

In Madrid he plans his debut on Thursday against the 16-year-old American Darwin Blanch in his countdown to prepare for the Roland Garros event: “I don’t know what is going to happen in the next three weeks. “I am going to be fighting and doing the things that I think I have to do to be able to try to play Paris,” he insisted.

2024-04-24 15:23:28
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