22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has given the much-awaited update on his injury sustained during Australian Open 2023. He tweeted that the scanning report in Melbourne is confirmed in Barcelona and the deadline for return remains the same.
The hip injury happened during his second-round match of the Australian Open 2023 against American World No.65 Mackenzie McDonald. He was not even expected to complete the match post the injury happened in the second set. But the tournament’s defending champion wanted to complete the match for the respect of his opponent and the tournament in a ‘Rafael Nadal’ way of doing things.
Nadal tweeted, “Today I have been at the Tecknon Tennis Clinic in Barcelona where they have carried out some tests on me. The Melbourne results are confirmed and the deadlines remain the same. Established the treatments to follow and in 3 weeks they will perform new tests to see the evolution.”
Nadal and his fans are going through a very dark time. In parallel, his biggest rival Novak Djokovic is peaking to win his 22nd Grand Slam title to equal Nadal in the Australian Open 2023. Playing as the defending champion, this year’s Australian Open turned out to be a disaster for the Spaniard and his fans.
Rafael Nadal will look to come back for the clay swing
The Spanish World No.2 Rafael Nadal has had an injury-hit career but he has always come back stronger to win more majors and break more records. Being one of the unluckiest players in the history of the game in terms of injuries, Nadal is still the most successful Grand Slam player ever. With 22 Grand Slams won, he still stands on the top alone.
Though his body was not predicted to endure long with his physical game, Nadal has proved all the haters wrong. He has never gone out of Top-10 in the ATP rankings since he reached there in 2005. This is one of those records which is difficult to be broken in tennis. After turning 30, the Spaniard grabbed 8 Grand Slams – definitely a direct answer to the questions raised on his endurance.
The Spaniard’s physical game was always considered a reason for his injury-prone career. But the truth is that Nadal has an inborn condition on his left foot called Mueller-Weiss Syndrome. In his early years, the doctors even asked him to stop playing the game. But with a special shoe designed that has an extra cushion on his left foot, Nadal continued playing. But the strain on his foot caused major issues in his knee and other body parts later.
In 2022, the Spaniard underwent a radio-frequency treatment. It was expected to stop the pain in the foot by numbing the nerves. The fans were expecting an-injury free Nadal after the foot treatment. But the abdomen injury in the second half of 2022 and the hip injury at the start of 2023 have given them further blows.
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