Rafael Nadal’s return to the tennis circuit continues to be postponed: through his social networks, the Spaniard announced that he will not play the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 tournament, which led to growing doubts about his future as a professional.
In a brief message, with a video of him playing at his Academy in Mallorca, Nadal confirmed his absence in the tournament that he won 11 times and in which his clay season was going to begin. In addition, he acknowledged that he is not going to compete in the tournament because his body “simply” does not “let him.” “Although I continue working and trying my best every day with the hope of being able to compete in tournaments that have been very important to me, the reality is that today I cannot,” highlighted the former world number one.
The champion of 22 Grand Slam tournaments played his last match in early January, when he lost in the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 in Brisbane, after having missed almost all of 2023. Since then, he has been absent from the Australian Open for a hip injury and the Indian Wells and Miami Masters 1000 due to back problems. Apparently, this last injury is still affecting his performance, so he decided to withdraw from the first tournament he had scheduled on the clay tour.
This is a big blow for Nadal, who hoped to use the European tour on clay to prepare to compete at Roland Garros, his favorite tournament and where he lifted the champion trophy 14 times. With this absence confirmed, his return is now scheduled for the ATP 500 in Barcelona, which is played between April 15 and 21. If you don’t arrive, the next stop is the Madrid Masters 1000, which will take place between the last week of April and the first week of May. This season could mark an end to the career of Nadal, who has been severely affected by injuries mainly in recent years.
2024-04-04 22:20:35
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