Rafael Nadal Announces His Withdrawal From Madrid Masters

Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will miss the Madrid Masters later this month following his withdrawal from the ATP tournament in Barcelona as he continues his hip injury recovery.

Nadal’s withdrawal from these two major tournaments in Spain is seen as a significant blow to his preparation for the French Open.

Naija News recalls that the 36-year-old Spaniard hasn’t played since losing in the second round of the Australian Open in January.

Nadal aims to win his 15th French Open title at Roland Garros which will commence on May 28, 2023. However, a hip flexor injury he sustained in Melbourne has badly affected his training ahead of the tournament.

Initially, he was expected to be sidelined for two months, but the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion has been out for over three months.

Rafael Nadal wrote on Instagram on Thursday, “For the moment I’ve missed Monte Carlo and Barcelona. And unfortunately, I won’t be able to be in Madrid either.

“The injury still hasn’t healed.

“In principle, it was supposed to be a recovery period of six to eight weeks and now we’re around 14.

“The reality is that the situation is not what we would have hoped for. All medical indications have been followed, but the healing has not gone as they told us initially. (/) ”

Rafael Nadal has already pulled out of hard-court events at Indian Wells and Miami to return at the start of the clay-court season, but that strategy failed to materialize.

Nadal did not provide a timeline for his return to the court, but he did say that he and his staff have decided to try a new course of treatment to see if things get better.