Rafael Nadal’s return to the courts delayed, he also withdrew from Barcelona tournament

Rafael Nadal’s return to the courts is still uncertain. The Spanish player had to miss the start of the clay court season in Monte Carlo due to injury and now he has also withdrawn from the tournament in Barcelona. And the absence could be much longer.

A fatigue fracture of the third left rib arch is to blame. Until then, Nadal was unbeatable on the courts. He won an incredible 20 matches in a row. He managed to dominate the Australian Open and also the tournaments in Melbourne and Acapulco.

The last match Nadal played was on March 21 at the Indian Wells tournament, where he lost in the final in great pain to the host Taylor Fritz. An examination followed, which estimated a break of 4 to 6 weeks.

However, this break is certain to be extended. Nadal withdrew first from the Monte Carlo tournament and now also from his very favourite clay tournament in Barcelona, where he managed to dominate the entire pavilion 12 times during his career.

The Monte Carlo and Barcelona tournaments would be the first tournaments where the star Spaniard would start to get into shape before the upcoming Roland Garros, where he would have the chance to rewrite his own record of Grand Slam titles to number 22.

“We don’t know yet when he will play his first clay court tournament of the year. Hopefully soon,” Rafael Nadal’s team told Reuters. The next opportunity for the clay king to return will be on May 8, when the tournament in Rome starts. Let’s see if the Spaniard’s body will be able to recover by then.

Source: ATP, Eurosport