VAMOS! Rafael Nadal is back at gym training though he will miss the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments
Rafael Nadal's withdrawal from the Indian Wells comes with a positive update from the Spaniard promising to return very soon on the Tour.
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Rafael Nadal
For all the Rafael Nadal fans out there, here is the good and bad news. The winner of 22 Grand Slam singles titles has posted on Twitter, his social media handle, he has hit the gym and begun rehab. However, the bad news is the Spaniard will be missing two important tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami. He has promised to see fans back in the United States of America later in 2023 during the summer swing.
There has been an eerie silence the time Rafa walked out of the Australian Open, having sustained a major hip injury in Melbourne during the Australian Open in January. The defending champion had lost in straight sets to Mackenzie McDonald and winced in pain. Images of Rafa crying in pain were terrifying, though some carping critics poured vitriol on him. These days, there is a lack of sensitivity when top athletes get injured.
Be it tennis, NFL, or even NBA, when players sustain an injury, social media tools are used to slam athletes. LeBron James is the latest in NBA, where fans and even some elite athletes have no concern or sympathy. They even doubt the seriousness of the injury, which even Novak Djokovic faced in the Australian Open when he played with a major hamstring injury.
Back to Nadal, his love affair with injuries are very old. It is, perhaps, as old as his tennis career itself, given his physical game. He has always liked to grind points and win, a hallmark for decades, which has seen him so potent on clay. That is why he is the King at the French Open.
“It’s been a while since I don’t communicate with you. Took my time off, started rehab, gym and physiotherapy as instructed by the doctors. Getting ready to come back the in the best conditions,” tweeted Rafa. “(I) am sad that I won’t be able to compete at Indian Wells nor Miami. Very sad not to be there. I’ll miss all my US fans but I hope to see them later this year during the summer swing,” added Rafael Nadal.
No comeback date set for Rafael Nadal
There is really no timeline mentioned as to when the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles will make a comeback. However, his gym pictures, where he is doing strength training, suggest he is working his way back to top fitness. His leg group muscle workout on adductor and abductor muscles, plus shoulder and arm strengthening videos make it clear he still means business.
To be sure, this is the season of Novak Djokovic. He not only won the Australian Open and equaled Rafa’s record, but the Serbian has also scaled a new peak on the ATP ranking computer. Surpassing Steffi Graf at 377 weeks has created an uproar. Novak fans are ecstatic, some former lady tennis superstars have wished him. Yet, some feel, had there been this level of medical advancement during the time of German blonde Steffi Graf, she may have gone farther ahead.
All this chatter on social media is engrossing for sure. Yet, the talk on Rafael Nadal — good or bad — is great news for the tennis season in 2023 where players like Carlos Alcaraz are also struggling with injuries. Andy Murray has also been in the news for the right reason, having made it a habit of playing long matches. Five-setters at the Australian Open were the norm, for a man playing with a partial hip replacement.
In comparison, what Rafa suffered was bad in Melbourne. He was in extreme pain and his wife was crying in the stands. The suspense on his injury grew before reports of his MRI scans were made public. Uncle Toni Nadal plus a few more knowledgeable and discerning simply said Rafa would be out for a few months.
On the first day in March 2023, hearing that Rafa is back at training is great news for his fans.
It is bound to light up discussions on his rivalry with Novak, especially at the second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open. What is more important is Rafa has not yet thrown in the towel. For a man who has been dealing with a foot injury for more than 12 years, and needs local anesthesia injections (nerve blockers) and cortisone steroid shots, at the pain spot, this current injury is far more serious.
After all, in 2022, he had torn an abdominal muscle as well. The more injuries he suffers, he comes back with a vengeance. A vintage Rafa can never be like the young boy who exploded on the tennis scene more than two decades ago. He will be 37 in June, and if he is still going to be around, that’s a story in itself. Vamos!
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)