The rib injury of the legendary Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal worries his followers, although his doctors have assured that with good physiotherapy and adequate rest, he could return to the court in about two months or less.
Nadal is already back home in Manacor, Spain after playing the final of the Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, California where he fell to the American Taylor Fritz 6-3, 7-6 (5).
With his victory, Fritz became the first “next gen” player (born from the 1990s onwards) to win a final against the Mallorcan. Until last Sunday, Nadal had a perfect 15-0 record in finals against players from that generation.
As soon as he returned to Spain, Nadal was treated by a medical team in Barcelona who determined the stellar player’s ailment: a stress crack in the third left costal arch which will keep him out of tennis for between four to six weeks.
Nadal will enter his rest period first in the ranking for 2022 with 3,350 points and third in the ATP ranking with 7,715 points, only 750 behind world number one Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.
Before losing in Indian Wells, Nadal had gone on a 20-match unbeaten streak and three consecutive titles in Melbourne, the Australian Open and Acapulco.
The Olympic champion in Beijing 2008 and in doubles in Rio 2016, Nadal nearly claimed a fourth consecutive title in the California desert. It would’ve been his fourth Indian Wells title as well, having won in 2007, 2009 and 2013.
“This is not good news and I did not expect this. I am depressed and sad because after the start of the season that I have had so good, I reached a very important part of the year with very good feelings and good results.
“But hey, I’ve always had that fighting and overcoming spirit and what I will do is be patient and work hard after my recovery. Once again, thank everyone for the support,” Nadal explained in a statement.
On Sunday, Nadal had to be treated for several minutes due to uncontrollable pain. “He was breathing as if he had a needle stuck in his chest. It was an intense pain that limited me,” he explained. Apparently the discomfort began in the semifinal match against his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz
But Nadal did not detract from Fritz’s historic win, “He has done very well. Taylor is the winner, he deserves it,” he said.
The young American champion had also struggled to reach that final due to a severe ankle pain that made him think about leaving after warming up in the morning. Already in front of Nadal he looked better thanks to a special bandage.
Not since 2001 when Andre Agassi won, has an American man won the title at Indian Wells.
Nadal had started the year with the uncertainty of having been out of the circuit for more than five months due to his chronic injury to the sole of his left foot.
The best Spanish player in history and one of the best in the world, at 35 years old, has returned to competition with surprising force, and many are hoping to see him at the Olympic tournament in Paris in 28 months.
This injury will prevent him from taking part in the Monte Carlo Masters 1000, the first clay court tournament of the season that begins on April 10, and he will also be absent from the Barcelona Open starting the following week.
If the recovery process goes smoothly, Nadal could reappear in time for Roland Garros, which starts in the last week of May until June 5, which the Spaniard has won a record 13 times.
Novak Djokovic, the current champion of the French Open, who has only played in one event in 2022 so far, could be in Paris without being vaccinated.
Without playing this Monday, Djokovic returned to number one in the ATP ranking after the surprise defeat of Russian Daniil Medvedev in the third round of Indian Wells against Frenchman Gael Monfils. Medvedev was just three weeks at the top of the top of world tennis.
The other star of world tennis, the Swiss Roger Federer, 41 years old, likely won’t reappear until late this season. Federer has been out of the competition for eight months due to knee problems.
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