Rafael Nadal tests positive for Covid-19 leaving Australian Open involvement uncertain
Rafael Nadal has tested positive for Covid-19 upon his return to Spain following the Abu Dhabi Exhibition, with the news leaving his Australian Open clouded in uncertainty.
20-time Grand Slam champion Nadal made his return from a five month absence at the Abu Dhabi Exhibition event as he looked to regain fitness ahead of the upcoming Australian Open in January.
Nadal lost to three-time Slam winner Andy Murray in his first match and then Denis Shapovalov in the third place play-off match. However, Nadal was pleased with his performances despite the losses.
Upon his return to Spain, Nadal tested positive for Covid-19. Nadal had previously said he couldn’t “100% guarantee” his participation at the ‘Happy Slam,’ but this news may further complicate his involvement.
The Spaniard revealed the news through social media and said “I wanted to announce that on my return home after playing the Abu Dhabi tournament, I have tested positive for COVID in the PCR test that was performed on me when I arrived in Spain.
“Both in Kuwait and Abu Dhabi we passed controls every two days and all were negative, the last being on Friday and having the results on Saturday.
“I am having some unpleasant moments but I hope that I will improve little by little.
“I am now homebound and have reported the result to those who have been in contact with me.
“As a consequence of the situation, I have to have total flexibility with my calendar and I will analyse my options depending on my evolution [progress].
“I will keep you informed of any decisions about my future tournaments! Thank you all in advance for the support and understanding.”
Hola a todos. Quería anunciaros que en mi regreso a casa tras disputar el torneo de Abu Dhabi, he dado positivo por COVID en la prueba PCR que se me ha realizado al llegar a España.
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) December 20, 2021
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