“I’m devastated and sad” Rafael Nadal expresses his shock at being diagnosed with a rib stress fracture post his Indian Wells defeat
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Rafael Nadal
World No. 3 Rafael Nadal‘s fantastic start to the season of 20-consecutive wins came to an end at the 2022 Indian Wells Masters where he lost in the finals to Taylor Fritz in straight-sets failing to capture hi 4th title of the season and his 4th consecutive title of the season having made his best-ever start to a season.
Nadal’s streak came to an end however in a disappointing manner. While the Spaniard would have coped up with a defeat, the fitness issues he faced during the semi-finals and the finals in Indian Wells were of more concern for the 21-time Grand Slam champion who faced difficulty in breathing and had to receive on-court treatment that was visibly painful for the player.
Addressing the press after the finals, Nadal had revealed that it felt like a needle was piercing him every time he moved and talked and he looked uncomfortable during the press conference as well. As it turns out, Nadal has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his ribs and as a result of it, he has been ruled out for 4-to 6 weeks from the Tour. While he was out of the Miami Masters to take a break after a busy schedule, the injury has now forced him, for an additional time.
“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. 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.
“I reached a very important part of the year with very good feelings and good results. But hey, I’ve always had that fighting and overcoming spirit and what I will do is be patient and work hard after my recovery. Once again thank everyone for the support,” tweeted Nadal through his official handle.
Tournaments Rafael Nadal will miss
Having already pulled out of the Miami Masters, he was supposed to return at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters and then play in the 2022 Barcelona Open, in the immediate week following the event in Monte-Carlo. These two were the only events Nadal was planning on playing in the month of April. He was scheduled to next play at the 2022 Madrid Masters that will begin in the first week of May.
Depending on his recovery, there is a slim chance Nadal could play in Madrid or he might directly play at the 2022 Rome Masters which was as per his original schedule the final tournament before he would go on to play the 2022 French Open.
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Sarthak Shitole
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