Rafael Nadal returns to court as he provides injury update
Rafael Nadal has updated his fans on his injury recovery, with a video on social media showing him practicing on the clay in preparation for his return to the tour.
Nadal has been out of action since the Australian Open, where he picked up a grade two tear to his iliopsoas muscle and was originally expected to be out for six to eight weeks.
When the Spaniard withdrew from the sunshine double, meaning that he would leave the top 10 for the first time since 2005, it was assumed that he would be back for the Monte Carlo Masters.
But, that may not be the case, “I am taking it week by week, I’m having tests to see the progress [I am making] from the injury,” Rafael Nadal told the Spanish media.
He continued “I haven’t talked much since what happened in Australia, but in Australia I had a big, big breakdown.”
“It was a very big tear in the muscle, I tore a little bit of the tendon. It is a very complicated place in the psoas, in all sports, but in tennis we get strength from there, so it is a slower recovery than we would like.”
Nadal admitted that his age makes recovery from injuries much more challenging these days, “We have no choice but to be a little patient; it is true that the calendar is passing and that I am no longer 20 years old, and after a year like the one I’ve been having, one gets tired, but I do what I can.”
He added, “Everyday I’m at the academy training, gym, recovery, 15 or 20 minutes on the court so that my arm doesn’t degenerate.”
The 22-time Grand Slam champion shared some of the on court training he has been doing in a video on social media, with a simple caption of, “Yes.”
Meanwhile, Rafa Nadal levels intensity up at practice on clay!
(? @RafaelNadal) pic.twitter.com/1uXiXsrku3
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) March 11, 2023
The 36-year-old still appears to be targeting a return at the Monte Carlo Masters, in preparation for a record 15th Roland Garros title.
The Monte Carlo Masters, which 11-time champion Nadal has won more than anyone, begin on the 9th April.
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