Rafael Nadal has not competed in a competitive competition since early January, and there are reports that he is fighting to recover in time for his scheduled return at the Monte-Carlo Masters next week.
Nadal made an optimistic return to the ATP Tour in Brisbane in the first week of 2024, but he suffered an injury in that event and had to withdraw from the Australian Open.
The Spaniard suffered a muscle rupture near his hip after his quarter-final loss to Jordan Thompson in Brisbane, but scans confirmed it was not in the same location as the hip condition that proved so serious following the 2023 Australian Open.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion later withdrew from a planned comeback in Qatar in February, but he did appear on court for the ‘Netflix Slam’ exhibition event last month.
His efforts in the match prompted him to retire from the Indian Wells Masters due to a back ailment, as stated on his social media accounts.
“It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament at Indian Wells,” he told reporters.
“Everyone knows how much I adore this place and how much I like playing here. That’s one of the reasons I arrived in the desert so early to practice and prepare.
“I’ve been working hard and training, and you all know I took a test this weekend, but I don’t feel prepared to perform at the best level at such a big tournament.
“It’s not an easy decision, in truth, but I can’t lie to myself or the thousands of fans.
“I will miss you all and I am sure the tournament will be a great success.”
He has released photographs on his social media sites in recent days showing him hitting groundstrokes with great force, but there is no footage of him hitting serves.
In his Netflix match against Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas, Nadal’s serve was visibly hampered by his back condition, and the tennis world will now wait to see if the Spaniard will compete in a tournament he has won 11 times.
Nadal is also scheduled to compete in Barcelona a few weeks after the Monte-Carlo tournament, followed by ATP 1000 events in Madrid and Rome before the French Open.
However, given his current physical issues after missing the majority of 2023 due to injury, such a busy program over the next three weeks may be unrealistic.
Nadal’s social media crew has been highly active in tracking his progress during his comeback attempts in previous months, but the paucity of film of the 37-year-old preparing for his current comeback has fueled speculation that he may not be training to his full potential.
If Nadal is forced to miss out on a return to Monte-Carlo and possibly Barcelona, it will raise new questions about whether this great champion will be able to complete his career on his own terms in 2024.
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