Rafael Nadal - disappointment, acceptance and overcoming
After an outstanding start to the season,Rafael Nadal will miss the start of the clay court season. When the Spaniard will return to the tour is still open.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit:
Mar 26, 2022, 11:09 am
And once again an injury is troubling him: As so often in his impressive career, Rafael Nadal has to take an involuntary break. The Australian Open champion suffered a stress fracture of a rib in Indian Wells, so the 35-year-old will be absent for four to six weeks.
This circumstance is doubly bitter for Nadal, since the first major highlight of the upcoming clay court season is already on April 10th with the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Monte Carlo. The Spaniard has now canceled his participation in the Principality, but he is still on the entry list for the event in Barcelona, which takes place a week later.
However, it is extremely unlikely that Nadal will celebrate his comeback in the Catalan capital. As his doctor Angel Ruiz-Cotorro told the Spanish media, the 21-time Grand Slam winner will only go out on the pitch once the rib has healed. Otherwise the problem could come back.
Since the injury was completely unexpected, Ruiz-Cotorro assumes three phases in Nadal's mind: disappointment, acceptance and overcoming. He is convinced that Nadal will feel better in a few days. Maybe even so well that it works with a comeback in Madrid (March 1st to 8th).