Rafael Nadal
Nadal joins Novak Djokovic and Ashleigh Barty as the notable names missing the tournament
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Miami Open, a tournament he last played in 2017. Nadal is currently playing at the Indian Wells Masters and is scheduled to face British player Dan Evans in the Round of 32.
The Spaniard is a 5-time Miami Open finalist, has a lot of fans in Florida and he will definitely be missed. It is understood Nadal has withdrawn from the tournament to give himself more time to prepare for the clay-court season. The Roland Garros is just two months away and Nadal will definitely look to ensure he stays on the top of his game in Paris, aiming to win a record 22nd Grand Slam title.
Nadal has had a busy 2022 so far. He has played 3 tournaments since the start of the season and is currently playing in his fourth event. Nadal is in top form and has won all the previous tournaments he played in – the Melbourne Open a warm-up event, the Australian Open and the Mexican Open. The World No. 4 will be looking to manage his workload for the rest of the year.
He is 35 now and not getting any younger, so playing top-level tournaments without breaks is definitely a challenge that he will have to negate. Nadal’s withdrawal from the Miami Open means he will get a good break before the clay season begins. The Spaniard has never won the Miami Masters and that’s not changing for at least one more year.
Rafael Nadal is unbeaten in 2022
Rafael Nadal will go into his second-round match at the Indian Wells with a 15-0 win record this year. The Spaniard has made his best-ever start to the season winning 15 out of 15 matches so far. Nadal is now the only player in the Open Era to have won at least 450 matches on both hard court and clay surfaces. The 21-time Grand Slam Champion is in amazing form since the start of the season. Nadal will look to carry forward the momentum to his next matches at the Indian Wells Masters and clinch the title.
Nadal would look to make the most of the break after the Indian Wells to give himself the best opportunity to go for a record 14th French Open title. The Roland Garros will be played in May on the clay courts of Paris. Nadal has made the tournament his own, winning the singles title a record 13 times. He is definitely the fan favourite in Paris and will go into the Grand Slam aiming to win his 22nd Grand Slam title.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic is likely to participate because French authorities will allow unvaccinated players to enter the country after announcing that the vaccination pass won’t be in effect from March 14. Besides Djokovic, the current World No.1, Daniil Medvedev will be posing a stiff challenge but Nadal has the edge over him beating him both in the Australian and the Mexican Open.
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