TENNIS
Nadal injury update: Spaniard drops out of Australian Open
The Spaniard announced that he was dropping out of the Australian Open due to injury. Here’s what he had to say.
Rafael Nadal has announced that he has dropped out of the Australian Open due to injury.
The Spaniard announced via his X (formerly Twitter) account, that he suffered “a small problem on a muscle” during his last match in Brisbane. Nadal, who raised alarm bells after the game against Thompson, said afterwards that he needed “to see how I wake up tomorrow morning. I’m not too positive when I talk and I do it with a lot of caution, because I know that after a year it’s difficult for the body to be playing tournaments at the highest level. When things become more difficult, you don’t know how it’s going to react”.
Now, the worst news has been confirmed: he will not be at the Australian Open.
Rafa Nadal injury update: what did he say?
“Hi all, during my last match in Brisbane I had a small problem on a muscle that as you know made me worried” he wrote on social media.
“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 now I am not ready to compete at the maximum level of exigence [demand] in 5 sets matches. I’m flying back to Spain to see my doctor, get some treatment and rest”.
After the defeat to Thompson, Nadal expressed his concern with a potential injury, saying “the only problem is that because the place is the same, you’re a little more scared than usual. In an ideal world, it’s just the muscle overloaded after a few days of effort and a very hard match. That would be ideal, something we know what can happen.” In that sense, the news is positive for Nadal.
Nadal opens up on “sad news” of injury - when will he return?
“I have worked very hard during the year for this comeback”, his message, spread out over various Tweets, continued, “and as I always mentioned my goal is to be at my best level in 3 months. Within the sad news for me for not being able to play in front of the amazing Melbourne crowds, this is not very bad news and we all remain positive with the evolution for the season. I really wanted to play here in Australia and I have had the chance to play a few matches that made me very happy and positive. Thanks all for the support and see you soon! Rafa”.
Nadal himself did not say when he will be back or what timescale he puts on his recovery. At 37-years-old, physical injuries are simply more difficult to overcome so we will have to wait and see when the Spanish tennis legend returns to the court.