‘We don’t know yet!’ – Rafael Nadal set to skip Barcelona Open with no fixed return date set
Rafael Nadal and his team have revealed that he has been forced to miss the upcoming Barcelona Open and they “don’t know” when the Spaniard will be able to stage a return.
Upon his return from a six-month-long injury lay-off Rafael Nadal took the ATP Tour by storm as he went 20-1 for the new season, winning a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title in the process.
The Spanish legend won the Melbourne Summer Set, the Australian Open, the Mexican Open and reached the final of the Indian Wells Masters.
However, Nadal sustained an injury in his Indian Wells semi-final against Spanish prodigy Carlos Alcaraz and battled through the final in considerable pain.
In the aftermath, Nadal announced that he will be out for up to four to six weeks after suffering a stress fracture to one of his ribs.
Whilst he was set to miss the Miami Open regardless, the extended absence will hamper his preparations ahead of next month’s French Open.
Having missed the Monte Carlo Masters, Nadal will also miss next week’s Barcelona Open in his native Spain. He could return at next month’s Madrid Masters, but his competition is dependent on his recovery.
Should the four to six week diagnosis prove accurate, he should be in contention to feature at the Rome Masters and two ATP 250 events in Geneva and Lyon.
The Spaniard will be hoping to return as soon as possible to gain invaluable fitness ahead of next month’s French Open, where he will be vying for a record-extending 14th Roland Garros title as well as a 22nd Slam title.
Nadal’s team revealed the news when they released a statement to Reuters that read “Rafa has just been withdrawn from the entry list in Barcelona.
“We don’t know yet when he will be at his first tournament on clay this year. Hopefully, soon.”
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