‘Another setback’ Rafael Nadal officially withdraws from the Barcelona Open due to the ongoing effect of his fracture
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Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal‘s promising start to the season has been derailed by a rib injury that will keep him out for at least four weeks. Nadal started the season with a 20-match winning streak, winning the Australian Open along the way, but his run came to an end when he fell to Taylor Fritz in the Indian Wells final. During that match, Nadal had respiratory problems and required assistance from the physiotherapist and on-court doctor.
He had previously intended to forgo the Monte Carlo Open to remain fit for the Clay season but the injury in Indian Wells now risks a long absence, as well as the possibility of disrupting his cherished clay season. Posting on Twitter in Spanish, he wrote, “Hello everyone, 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.“
Rafael Nadal is to be expected next in Madrid
Rafael Nadal is expected to return for the French Open, which he has won an incredible 13 times in his career, but his clay season, as well as his ranking points, will be severely hampered. He has already missed out on the Monte Carlo Masters in which he failed to move past the quarter-finals in the previous year. The only blessing is that he will lose out only 180 points.
But now, we have news that he is set to miss out on even Barcelona Open. Barcelona has long been a stronghold for Nadal, who has won the tournament 12 times in his career. One of those victories came last season when he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in a thrilling final.
Nadal will now forfeit all of the points he earned there last season, although the pain will be mitigated by the fact that it is an ATP 500 tournament rather than a Masters, so his losses will be minor.
The news of Nadal not playing in Barcelona was announced on the 11th of April and this is not going to be a soft blow for the 12-time and reigning champion of the title.
Looks like we will have to wait and see if Madrid would be lucky for him, wherein he can confidently saunter to the French Open and create, yet another history.
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Harini Mahesh
(159 Articles Published)