2023 is not a good year to be a Rafael Nadal fan so far. The Spaniard was ousted from the Australian Open in round 2 due to an injury. He missed the Dubai Tennis Championships, Indian Wells Masters, and the Miami Open due to not recovering properly. Hope was alive as the ‘King of Clay’ said that he was preserving his health for the clay-court season. But, he recently announced another disappointing update for his fans. Nadal has withdrawn from the Monte Carlo Masters.
An injury-ridden Rafael Nadal was defeated by Mackenzie McDonald in round 2 of the Australian Open in straight sets. The Spaniard has not set foot on the court ever since and would be missing out on another Masters, unfortunately.
Rafael Nadal announces another withdrawal
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
A recent post on Twitter from the Spaniard revealed that he has withdrawn from the Monte Carlo Masters. After withdrawing from Dubai and the Sunshine Double, his fans were excited to watch him play again. However, he delivered the sad news on his official Twitter account.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner has broken the hearts of his ardent fans as he wrote that he has not fully recovered from his injury. With sadness, Nadal stated that he would be unable to play on one of the most important tournaments of his life. However, he is still continuing to train properly for the future.
Nadal tweeted, “Hi everyone, I’m still not ready to compete at the highest level. I will not be able to play in one of the most important tournaments of my career, Monte Carlo. I am not yet in a position to play with the maximum guarantees and I continue my preparation process, hoping to return soon.” (Google Translate)
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Hola a todos, aún no me encuentro preparado para competir al más alto nivel. No podré jugar en uno de los torneos más importantes de mi carrera, Monte Carlo. No estoy aún en condiciones de jugar con las máximas garantías y continúo mi proceso preparación, esperando volver pronto
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) April 4, 2023
The Spaniard has not stated anything definite about the next clay-court tournament, the Madrid Open. Due to his exit from several Masters tournaments, Nadal has fallen down to 14 in the ATP rankings, with just 50 points more than Frances Tiafoe, who is at rank 15.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Watch this story – Serena Williams’ Ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou Launches Fresh Controversy as He Irks Rafael Nadal Fans With a Biased Novak Djokovic Statement
Nadal’s return to Madrid Open has, however, come into major doubt. His rank would fall down even further if he withdraws from the Spanish Masters. French Open would follow, and Rafa would want to come back to show why he is widely known as the King of Clay. With his recent struggles with injury, is retirement on the horizon for the 14-time French Open champion?
