Rafael Nadal said Thursday that he will be out for up to eight weeks because he hurt his left hip flexor when he was knocked out of the Australian Open in the second round.
The world number two, who is 36 years old, said on Twitter that scans showed a small muscle tear. There will be no need for surgery. It’s the latest injury to hurt the Spanish player, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles.
“I have carried out medical tests after the defeat yesterday,” he tweeted, adding that they showed “a grade-two lesion in the iliacus psoas of the left leg”.
“Normal recovery time is six to eight weeks,” he wrote, adding that he would now rest and get physiotherapy for pain and inflammation.
All the 25 Grand Slams Rafael Nadal has missed out on due to injuries. Crazy 😮 pic.twitter.com/Ii6UBRT0Ll
— Luigi Gatto (@gigicat7_) January 18, 2023
Based on the plan, he might not be able to play in the ATP 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami in March, which would drop him in the rankings.
Most likely, Nadal will aim to be ready for the clay-court season by the middle of April. This will lead up to the French Open in May, where he will try to win his 15th Roland Garros title.
The defending champion lost to the 65th-ranked American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday. This was his worst Grand Slam result in seven years.
Check out some of our other posts about Rafael Nadal:
- Emotional Rafael Nadal Says of Roger Federer’s Retirement, “An Important Part of My Life is Leaving Too”
- Rafael Nadal Net Worth: How Much Money Has the Tennis Icon Earned?
During a break in the second set, he took a medical timeout because he hurt himself while stretching for a forehand and grimacing in pain. At Rod Laver Arena, his wife Mery was seen crying in the crowd.
He said afterward that he was “mentally destroyed,” and he admitted that at his age, it was getting harder to deal with injuries and the process of getting better.
“I don’t know what can happen in the future. But I need to avoid again a long period of time outside (of the sport),” he said. “Because if not, it’s tough.”
Discouraging news for Rafael Nadal. His team announces that he had an MRI test this morning in Melbourne showed a grade 2 injury of the iliopsoas on his left leg. Will rest and treat it with anti-inflammatory and physiotherapy. But normal recovery time is between 6 to 8 weeks pic.twitter.com/9aWSpUqtqo
— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) January 19, 2023
Even though he is getting older and has been hurt again, Nadal hasn’t said anything to suggest that he plans to quit any time soon.
“From here on, I guess when things move forward, the right decisions will be made because what I want is to continue playing tennis,” he said on Wednesday in Melbourne. “Don’t think I’m saying all this because I want to take a step back.” “It is not the case, but my current feelings are bad.”
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