Spain's Rafael Nadal speaks at a press conference following his victory in the men's singles final match against Russia's Daniil Medvedev on day fourteen of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 31, 2022. - -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE -- (Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP) / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE -- (Photo by MARTIN KEEP/AFP via Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal has suffered a stress fracture in his rib which has potentially ruled him out for upto six weeks
Rafael Nadal complained of a chest issue during his run to the final of the Indian Wells Masters in California last week. Upon his arrival in Spain, Nadal visited his team in Barcelona for tests which revealed a ‘stress fracture of the third left costal arch.” Nadal suffered the injury during his Semi-final match against Carlos Alcaraz but he still made it to the final which he eventually lost to Taylor Fritz.
According to Nadal’s doctor he will be out for 4 to 6 weeks which means Nadal will miss next month’s Monte Carlo Masters and his participation in the ATP 1000 events in Madrid and Rome in May is also doubtful.
Nadal made an emotional announcement on social media regarding his injury. “I wanted to announce that I have returned to Spain and I immediately went to visit my medical team to do the tests after the Indian Wells final that I played with discomfort. As it turns out I have a stress crack in one of my ribs and will be out for 4-6 weeks. This is not good news and I did not expect this. I am sunk and sad because after the start of the season, I have had such a good time”, wrote the 21-time Grand Slam Champion.
Rafael Nadal had earlier announced that he has withdrawn from the Miami Open to manage his workload and keep himself fit for the clay court season. Nadal has had a busy 2022 so far. He has played 4 tournaments since the start of the season. Nadal was in top form and has won three previous tournaments he played in – the Melbourne Summer Set, the Australian Open and the Mexican Open. He then made it to the final of Indian Wells Masters but eventually lost it playing with injury.
During the Indian Wells tournament, the Spaniard had also complained of a foot injury after his match against Nick Kyrgios. The hectic schedule and the injuries have certainly taken a toll on the 35-year old.
Nadal’s plans of preparing for the clay-court season are now definitely hampered due to the rib injury. He will miss the Monte Carlo Masters, a tournament played on clay surfaces and is considered to be an ideal warm up event leading to the Roland Garros in Paris. However, Nadal should be fit in time for the Grand Slam in Paris in pursuit of a record 22nd Grand Slam.
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