Rafael Nadal at the French Open in 2018. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)
The injury to Rafael Nadal appears to be worse than he thought. He announced that he won’t be able to appear in the Madrid Open next week.
The all-time leader in French Open wins
Recently, news surfaced claiming Nadal’s hip injury may not have healed as much as he was led to believe. It may not be possible for him to attend the French Open in late spring, either. As a result, he’d miss his second opportunity for a Grand Slam title in 2023.
The French Open Runs from May 28 to June 11. This would be a major blow, as Nadal is the all-time leader in French Open wins, with 14.
Right now, he’s in a tie for the individual all-time men’s Grand Slam lead with 22 titles. Novak Djokavic, who is as good as it gets, is the other shareholder. Djokavic’s also the longest running world’s number one ranked player in the history of the sport. Additionally, he’s a year younger than Nadal at 35.
They are the two best of all the men who’ve ever competed at the highest level on the tennis court. It goes back a long way. They’re tied for the lead with 22 titles each.
The injury lingered longer than expected
Nadal’s injury stems from the second-round loss at the US Open. After that loss, he wrote in a tweet, “The MRI showed that I have a grade 2 injury in my left iliopsoas. Now comes some rest from sport and anti-inflammatory physiotherapy. Normal recovery time is 6 to 8 weeks.”
But the injury lingered longer than expected. We don’t know the final outcome, but it appears it could cost Nadal his chance to reclaim his title lead.
The 36-year-old living legend is facing the cold, hard reality of an aging body pitted against the grueling rigors of tennis.
