Rafael Nadal Raises Huge Injury Concerns Ahead of Australian Open 2021, Withdraws From Another ATP Cup Tie

Rafael Nadal is currently preparing for the 2021 season by taking part in the ATP Cup. The Spaniard was expected to grace the court in his opening fixture against Australia’s Alex De Minaur, but the 34-year-old pulled out of the match due to a back injury. There’s more bad news in that regard. 

Rafael Nadal will not play his second match against Stefanos Tsitsipas

Fans were incredibly disappointed with Nadal’s no-show against Alex De Minaur. We’ll have to wait for them to lock horns on yet another day, but Team Spain is now facing more negativity as the tournament moves on. 

Spain comfortably cruised past Australia in their opening clash, but they’re once again shorthanded as they take on a promising Greece national team led by Stefanos Tsitsipas. The main event of this clash was the matchup between Tsitsipas and Nadal, but the match is seemingly off the table. 

The back injury has been troubling Nadal for quite some time now, and it is keeping him from playing professional matches. It has been confirmed that Rafael Nadal will not play against Greece and it is a bummer indeed! 

Roberto Bautista Agut filled in as Nadal’s replacement against Australia, and one can expect him to take on the Tsitsipas challenge too.

While Spain have their backup, tennis fans would be dejected with the fact that the World No.2 is unfit ahead of the Australian Open 2021.

“I’m not well enough to play tomorrow” – Nadal

This isn’t the ideal start to 2021 for Rafael Nadal. He had 2 quality matches lined up in the group stage of ATP Cup 2021 but has been forced to react to them from the sidelines.

The Spaniard shouldn’t be let down by this back injury as this is just the beginning of a brand new season. There’s a lot that’s yet to come his way, but the 34-year-old announced his inability to participate in the ATP Cup through a disheartening message. “I’m not well enough to play tomorrow,” mentioned Nadal.

However, if Spain manage to defeat Greece, Rafa Nadal can come back and help his nation in the ATP Cup semi-finals! It all depends on how the Spaniards play Greece in their upcoming encounter.